GPT-4o vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
GPT-4o and Claude Sonnet 4.6 sit in a similar price bracket and compete directly for production API workloads. Sonnet edges out GPT-4o on most benchmarks while costing slightly more on input but significantly more on output. GPT-4o counters with audio support and broader ecosystem reach. This is the comparison that matters most for teams choosing a daily-driver model.
Head-to-Head Specs
| Spec | GPT-4o | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Anthropic |
| Input Price | $2.50/1M | $3.00/1M |
| Output Price | $10.00/1M | $15.00/1M |
| Context Window | 128K | 200K |
| Released | 2024-05 | 2026-03 |
| Capabilities | text, vision, tool-use, code | text, vision, tool-use, code |
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | GPT-4o | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-Pro | 87.2 | 88.7 | Claude |
| HumanEval | 90.2 | 92.0 | Claude |
| GPQA Diamond | 59.1 | 65.8 | Claude |
| MATH | 81.3 | 85.4 | Claude |
| SWE-bench | 48.5 | 55.7 | Claude |
See the full benchmark leaderboard for all models.
Category Breakdown
Sonnet scores 92.0 on HumanEval vs GPT-4o at 90.2
Sonnet leads on MMLU-Pro (88.7 vs 87.2) and GPQA Diamond (65.8 vs 59.1)
GPT-4o costs $2.50/1M vs Sonnet at $3.00/1M input
GPT-4o costs $10/1M vs Sonnet at $15/1M output
200K tokens vs 128K tokens
GPT-4o has native audio; Sonnet does not
Choose GPT-4o when:
- ▸Cost-optimized high-volume production
- ▸Applications needing audio input/output
- ▸Broad ecosystem and plugin support
- ▸Teams already invested in OpenAI tools
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when:
- ▸Higher quality reasoning at moderate cost
- ▸Larger context window for long inputs
- ▸Code-heavy workloads
- ▸Teams prioritizing output quality over cost
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, GPT-4o or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
It depends on your use case. GPT-4o from OpenAI excels at cost-optimized high-volume production, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 from Anthropic is better for higher quality reasoning at moderate cost. See the full comparison above for detailed benchmarks and pricing.
How much does GPT-4o cost compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6?
GPT-4o costs $2.50 input and $10.00 output per 1M tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00 input and $15.00 output per 1M tokens.
What is the context window difference between GPT-4o and Claude Sonnet 4.6?
GPT-4o supports 128K tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens.