Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5 — Pricing Comparison 2026

Requests per Day

Days per Month

Anthropic

Claude Sonnet 4.6

$0.00

per month

Input cost

Output cost

Cost per request

Requests/month

OpenAI

GPT-5

$0.00

per month

Input cost

Output cost

Cost per request

Requests/month

Which Model for Which Use Case?

Cost Optimization

GPT-5 at $1.25/M input is 58% cheaper than Sonnet 4.6. For high-volume workloads within 272K context, GPT-5 delivers significant savings.

Best value: GPT-5 (33-58% cheaper)

Long Context

Sonnet 4.6's 1M context window is 3.7x larger than GPT-5's 272K. For processing long documents, legal files, or codebases, Sonnet 4.6 is the clear winner.

Long docs: Sonnet 4.6 | Short context: GPT-5

Code Generation

Both models are strong at code generation. Sonnet 4.6 excels at complex refactoring with its larger context. GPT-5 offers better value for straightforward coding tasks.

Complex code: Sonnet 4.6 | Budget coding: GPT-5

Enterprise Workloads

Sonnet 4.6 offers Anthropic's safety-focused approach with 1M context for enterprise document processing. GPT-5 provides OpenAI's ecosystem with lower costs for standard workloads.

Enterprise docs: Sonnet 4.6 | Standard API: GPT-5

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is GPT-5 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Yes. GPT-5 costs $1.25/M input and $10.00/M output. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output. GPT-5 is 58% cheaper on input and 33% cheaper on output. For 1M input + 500K output/month, GPT-5 costs $6.25 vs Sonnet's $10.50 — saving $4.25/month (40%).

Which has a larger context window?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a 1M token context window — 3.7x larger than GPT-5's 272K context. If you need to process long documents or maintain extensive conversation history, Sonnet 4.6 has a significant advantage.

When should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 over GPT-5?

Choose Sonnet 4.6 when: (1) you need long context (1M vs 272K), (2) you want Anthropic's safety-focused approach, (3) your workload involves large document processing. Choose GPT-5 when: (1) cost matters (33-58% cheaper), (2) your context fits within 272K, (3) you want OpenAI's ecosystem and tooling.

Are both models production-ready?

Both are production-ready. Sonnet 4.6 is Anthropic's mid-tier model with 1M context and strong reasoning. GPT-5 is OpenAI's premium model offering excellent value at lower price points. Both handle enterprise workloads well.