Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs o3
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 and OpenAI's o3.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
o3
1.5x cheaper input, 1.9x cheaper output
Larger Context
Claude Sonnet 4.6
200K vs 200K
Higher Quality
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Score: 44 vs 38
Faster
o3
79 vs 54 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | o3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $3 | $2 | o3 is 33% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $15 | $8 | o3 is 47% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 200K | Same |
| Max Output | 64K | 100K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | o3 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 44 | 38 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Output Speed | 54 tok/s | 79 tok/s | o3 |
| Time to First Token | 1.17s | 10.83s | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 14.8 | 19.2 | 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 | o3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0075 | $0.0044 | o3 saves $0.0031 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.075 | $0.044 | o3 saves $0.031 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.750 | $0.440 | o3 saves $0.310 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $7.50 | $4.40 | o3 saves $3.10 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $75.00 | $44.00 | o3 saves $31.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $7500.00 | $4400.00 | o3 saves $3100.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Sonnet 4.6 Strengths
- +Higher quality score (44 vs 38)
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
o3 Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (79 vs 54 tok/s)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
Choose o3 for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or o3?
For input tokens, o3 is 1.5x cheaper at $2/1M tokens. For output tokens, o3 is 1.9x cheaper at $8/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $7.50 vs o3 at $4.40.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while o3 supports 200K (200,000 tokens). o3 can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 44 vs o3 at 38. Speed: Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates 54 tok/s vs o3 at 79 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 1.17s vs o3 at 10.83s.
When should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 over o3?
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you need: Higher quality score (44 vs 38), Lower latency (faster first token). Choose o3 when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Higher max output tokens, Faster output (79 vs 54 tok/s).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $75.00, o3 = $44.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $450.00, o3 = $280.00.