Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.4 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 and OpenAI's GPT-5.4 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
GPT-5.4 Mini
4.0x cheaper input, 3.3x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-5.4 Mini
400K vs 200K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $3 | $0.75 | GPT-5.4 Mini is 75% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $15 | $4.5 | GPT-5.4 Mini is 70% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 400K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 64K | 128K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 44 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 44 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 14.8 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0075 | $0.0021 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.0054 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.075 | $0.021 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.054 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.750 | $0.210 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.540 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $7.50 | $2.10 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $5.40 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $75.00 | $21.00 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $54.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $7500.00 | $2100.00 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $5400.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Sonnet 4.6 Strengths
Part of the Anthropic ecosystem
GPT-5.4 Mini Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (400K vs 200K)
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for
- →Projects already integrated with Anthropic's ecosystem
Choose GPT-5.4 Mini for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
For input tokens, GPT-5.4 Mini is 4.0x cheaper at $0.75/1M tokens. For output tokens, GPT-5.4 Mini is 3.3x cheaper at $4.5/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $7.50 vs GPT-5.4 Mini at $2.10.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while GPT-5.4 Mini supports 400K (400,000 tokens). GPT-5.4 Mini can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 over GPT-5.4 Mini?
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you need: a Anthropic ecosystem model. Choose GPT-5.4 Mini when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (400K vs 200K), Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $75.00, GPT-5.4 Mini = $21.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $450.00, GPT-5.4 Mini = $120.00.
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