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Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M2.5

Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax's MiniMax M2.5.

Quick Verdict

Cheaper
MiniMax M2.5
10.0x cheaper input, 12.5x cheaper output
Larger Context
Claude Sonnet 4.6
200K vs 128K
Higher Quality
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Score: 44 vs 42
Faster
Claude Sonnet 4.6
54 vs 48 tok/s

Pricing Comparison

SpecClaude Sonnet 4.6MiniMax M2.5Difference
ProviderAnthropicMiniMax
Input / 1M tokens$3$0.3MiniMax M2.5 is 90% more expensive
Output / 1M tokens$15$1.2MiniMax M2.5 is 92% more expensive
Context Window200K128K2x difference
Max Output64K33K

Performance Benchmarks

MetricClaude Sonnet 4.6MiniMax M2.5Winner
Quality Index4442Claude Sonnet 4.6
Output Speed54 tok/s48 tok/sClaude Sonnet 4.6
Time to First Token1.17s2.47sClaude Sonnet 4.6
Value (Quality/$)14.8139.7Higher = 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).

UsageClaude Sonnet 4.6MiniMax M2.5Savings
Single request
1K in / 300 out
$0.0075$0.0007MiniMax M2.5 saves $0.0068
10 requests
10K in / 3K out
$0.075$0.0066MiniMax M2.5 saves $0.068
100 requests
100K in / 30K out
$0.750$0.066MiniMax M2.5 saves $0.684
1,000 requests
1M in / 300K out
$7.50$0.660MiniMax M2.5 saves $6.84
10,000 requests
10M in / 3M out
$75.00$6.60MiniMax M2.5 saves $68.40
1M requests/mo
1B in / 300M out
$7500.00$660.00MiniMax M2.5 saves $6840.00

Pros & Cons

Claude Sonnet 4.6 Strengths

  • +Larger context window (200K vs 128K)
  • +Higher max output tokens
  • +Faster output (54 vs 48 tok/s)
  • +Higher quality score (44 vs 42)
  • +Lower latency (faster first token)

MiniMax M2.5 Strengths

  • +Cheaper input tokens
  • +Cheaper output tokens

When to Use Each Model

Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for

  • →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
  • →Generating long-form content or detailed code
  • →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
  • →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete

Choose MiniMax M2.5 for

  • →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or MiniMax M2.5?
For input tokens, MiniMax M2.5 is 10.0x cheaper at $0.3/1M tokens. For output tokens, MiniMax M2.5 is 12.5x cheaper at $1.2/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $7.50 vs MiniMax M2.5 at $0.660.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while MiniMax M2.5 supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Claude Sonnet 4.6 can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 44 vs MiniMax M2.5 at 42. Speed: Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates 54 tok/s vs MiniMax M2.5 at 48 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 1.17s vs MiniMax M2.5 at 2.47s.
When should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 over MiniMax M2.5?
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you need: Larger context window (200K vs 128K), Higher max output tokens, Faster output (54 vs 48 tok/s), Higher quality score (44 vs 42), Lower latency (faster first token). Choose MiniMax M2.5 when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper 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, MiniMax M2.5 = $6.60. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $450.00, MiniMax M2.5 = $42.00.

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Claude Sonnet 4.6 DetailsMiniMax M2.5 DetailsFull Pricing TableCost Calculator