Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs o4 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 and OpenAI's o4 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
o4 Mini
2.7x cheaper input, 3.4x cheaper output
Larger Context
Claude Sonnet 4.6
200K vs 200K
Higher Quality
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Score: 44 vs 33
Faster
o4 Mini
140 vs 54 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | o4 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $3 | $1.1 | o4 Mini is 63% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $15 | $4.4 | o4 Mini is 71% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 200K | Same |
| Max Output | 64K | 100K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | o4 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 44 | 33 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Output Speed | 54 tok/s | 140 tok/s | o4 Mini |
| Time to First Token | 1.17s | 32.98s | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 14.8 | 30.1 | 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 | o4 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0075 | $0.0024 | o4 Mini saves $0.0051 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.075 | $0.024 | o4 Mini saves $0.051 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.750 | $0.242 | o4 Mini saves $0.508 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $7.50 | $2.42 | o4 Mini saves $5.08 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $75.00 | $24.20 | o4 Mini saves $50.80 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $7500.00 | $2420.00 | o4 Mini saves $5080.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Sonnet 4.6 Strengths
- +Higher quality score (44 vs 33)
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
o4 Mini Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (140 vs 54 tok/s)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
Choose o4 Mini 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 o4 Mini?
For input tokens, o4 Mini is 2.7x cheaper at $1.1/1M tokens. For output tokens, o4 Mini is 3.4x cheaper at $4.4/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $7.50 vs o4 Mini at $2.42.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while o4 Mini supports 200K (200,000 tokens). o4 Mini can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 44 vs o4 Mini at 33. Speed: Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates 54 tok/s vs o4 Mini at 140 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 1.17s vs o4 Mini at 32.98s.
When should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 over o4 Mini?
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you need: Higher quality score (44 vs 33), Lower latency (faster first token). Choose o4 Mini when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Higher max output tokens, Faster output (140 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, o4 Mini = $24.20. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Sonnet 4.6 = $450.00, o4 Mini = $154.00.