At a glance
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Input / 1M | $0.60 | $0.50 |
| Output / 1M | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Context | 200K | 128K |
| Extended thinking | Yes | No |
The verdict
For most teams, GPT-5 is the better default if cost matters, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 earns its premium on the hardest tasks. Pick based on whether a wrong answer is expensive enough to justify the higher price.
Claude Sonnet 4.6: where it wins
Claude Sonnet 4.6 hits the sweet spot for most production workloads. It's fast enough for real-time apps and smart enough for genuinely hard tasks, at one-fifth the price of Opus. For most teams, this is the default.
Best for: coding assistants and ide integrations, content generation at scale.
GPT-5: where it wins
GPT-5 brings state-of-the-art language understanding, generation, and tool use, including the Codex coding variant. Native function calling and JSON mode make it a strong fit for structured, tool-driven applications.
Best for: function calling and tool use, structured json output.
Cost in practice
On a typical request with 2,000 input and 800 output tokens, Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs about $0.00360 and GPT-5 about $0.00260. Plug in your own numbers with the cost calculator.
Run both behind one API
Switch between Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5 by changing one line. $1 free to start.
Start FreeFAQ
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5 cheaper?
GPT-5 is cheaper on input tokens ($0.50 vs $0.60 per 1M). Output pricing follows the same order.
Which is better for coding, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5?
For most teams, GPT-5 is the better default if cost matters, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 earns its premium on the hardest tasks. Pick based on whether a wrong answer is expensive enough to justify the higher price.
Can I use both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5 with one API?
Yes. Through KissAPI both run behind one OpenAI-compatible endpoint, so you can route between Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5 by changing only the model id.