Claude Opus 4.6
Head-to-head comparison
Claude Opus 4.6 vs. Gemini 4 Argon
Compare published benchmark results from matching versions and cohorts, API pricing, and technical specifications. Any documented test setup differences remain visible.
- shared result series
- 3
- distinct benchmark metrics
- 3
- latest retrieval
- 2026-10-16
Change model selection
Specifications
General specifications
Release date, availability, context window, architecture, and published parameter counts at a glance. Undisclosed details remain marked as unavailable.
| Attribute | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 4 Argon |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Google DeepMind |
| Released | Feb 2026 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Availability | Active | Active |
| Model type | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Parameters | Not published | Not published |
| Architecture | Not published | Not published |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens shared across input, thinking, and output |
| Knowledge cutoff | May 2025 | Not published |
| Technical sources | Model, Context | Model |
Pricing
API pricing compared
The table compares official standard API rates per 1M tokens, including published cache pricing. Batch, fast, priority, regional surcharges, tool calls, and cloud platform pricing are excluded.
| Price type | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 4 Argon |
|---|---|---|
| API input | $5 | $2 |
| API output | $25 | $10 |
| Cache read | $0.5 | $0.1 |
| Cache write (5 min.) | $6.25 | Not listed |
| Cache write (1 hr.) | $10 | Not listed |
| Price verified | 09/22/2026 Source | 10/25/2026 Source |
Gemini 4 Argon, Standard pricing through November 30, 2026 Per 1 million tokens: $2.00 input, $10.00 output including thinking, and $0.10 cached input. Source | ||
Gemini 4 Argon, Standard pricing from December 1, 2026 Per 1 million tokens: $4.00 input, $20.00 output including thinking, and $0.20 cached input. Source | ||
Gemini 4 Argon, Caching Implicit caching only; explicit caching is not supported. Source | ||
Claude Opus 4.6Gemini 4 Argon
API inputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Opus 4.6$5
Gemini 4 ArgonLower price$2
API outputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Opus 4.6$25
Gemini 4 ArgonLower price$10
Cache readUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Opus 4.6$0.5
Gemini 4 ArgonLower price$0.1
Key to the marks:better valuebetter, but not conclusivetie
Pricing by provider
Direct developer pricing and provider endpoint tariffs routed through OpenRouter are listed separately. Prices are in USD per 1M tokens. Context-dependent direct tiers plus regional, Flex, Priority, and other OpenRouter tariffs remain individually identifiable.
No provider tariff for Gemini 4 Argon is available in the stored OpenRouter snapshot. The official direct price is still shown.
| Model | Provider | Purchase route and tariff | Input per 1M tokens | Output per 1M tokens | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | Direct from developerStandard API | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source09/22/2026 |
| Amazon Bedrock | Via OpenRouteramazon-bedrock | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source10/26/2026 | |
| Anthropic | Via OpenRouteranthropic | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source10/26/2026 | |
| Azure | Via OpenRouterazure/global | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source10/26/2026 | |
| Claude Platform on AWS | Via OpenRouterclaude-on-aws | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source10/26/2026 | |
| Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/europe | $5.5 | $27.5 | Source10/26/2026 | ||
| Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/global | Lowest listed price: $5 | Lowest listed price: $25 | Source10/26/2026 | ||
| Gemini 4 Argon | Google DeepMind | Direct from developerStandard API | Lowest listed price: $2 | Lowest listed price: $10 | Source10/25/2026 |
Benchmark index
Benchmark index compared
The index combines independent benchmarks on a scale from 0 to 100. A lead only counts when a model comes first in at least 95% of 200 recalculations with randomly redrawn test families. Otherwise both count as level.
Gemini 4 Argon leads in 4 of 4 shared areas.
| Area | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 4 Argon |
|---|---|---|
| Coding | 43.8 | 92.4 |
| Finance | 72.9 | 94.6 |
| Legal | 71.5 | 94.9 |
| Health | 63.0 | 92.8 |
Performance
Shared benchmarks
Only published results with the same benchmark version, task, metric, and comparison cohort are paired. Different reasoning levels, agents, harnesses, or output limits appear directly in the table.
Capability profile from matched benchmarks
Each axis averages directly matched benchmark families. A value of 100 means the stronger value within this pair, not a universal quality score.
Not enough directly matched categories for a reliable radar
Only 0 of at least 5 categories have comparable, direct model measurements. The benchmark tables below show the available evidence without filling missing axes.
Claude Opus 4.6Gemini 4 Argon
MedCodeOverall. Higher is better. Test setup not documented as identical
Claude Opus 4.648.244 %
Gemini 4 ArgonHigher measured value58.801 %
MedScribeOverall. Higher is better. Test setup not documented as identical
Claude Opus 4.686.738 %
Gemini 4 ArgonHigher measured value87.427 %
Vibe Code Bench v1.1Overall. Higher is better. Test setup not documented as identical
Claude Opus 4.657.573 %
Gemini 4 ArgonHigher measured value91.906 %
Key to the marks:better valuebetter, but not conclusivetie
| Benchmark and task | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 4 Argon | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
MedCodeOverallTest detailsTest setup not documented as identicalNo direct winnerVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is betterClaude Opus 4.6: Compute: max, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 30,000 tokens Gemini 4 Argon: Reasoning: high, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 262,144 tokens | 48.244 % | Higher measured value58.801 % | Vals AISource detailsData as of: 10/13/2026 |
MedScribeOverallTest detailsTest setup not documented as identicalNo direct winnerVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is betterClaude Opus 4.6: Compute: max, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 30,000 tokens Gemini 4 Argon: Reasoning: high, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 262,144 tokens | 86.738 % | Higher measured value87.427 % | Vals AISource detailsData as of: 10/13/2026 |
Vibe Code Bench v1.1OverallTest detailsTest setup not documented as identicalNo direct winnerVersion: 1.1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is betterClaude Opus 4.6: Compute: max, Harness: OpenHands, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 128,000 tokens Gemini 4 Argon: Reasoning: high, Harness: OpenHands, Temperature: 1, Output limit: 262,144 tokens | 57.573 % | Higher measured value91.906 % | Vals AISource detailsData as of: 10/12/2026 |
Key to the marks:better valuebetter, but not conclusivetie | |||
Our model tests
Our tests
SVG short test
One SVG prompt and fixed output settings. Captures are shown only with 0 reported reasoning tokens or documented lack of reasoning controls. Identical test conditions do not make the models' internal compute identical.
Shared test round: 43b8c5c46830
Gemini 4 Argon
Unavailable in this round
Earlier tests
Pelican on a bicycle
A community classic for free-form SVG drawing.
Claude Opus 4.6
Reasoning (requested): high
Current attempt
- Run date
- Oct 1, 2026
- API provider
- openrouter
- Requested API model
- anthropic/claude-opus-4.6
- API model reported in response
- anthropic/claude-opus-4.6
- Reasoning setting
- high
- Pinned endpoint
- Anthropic | anthropic/claude-4.6-opus-20260205
- Temperature
- Provider default
- Token limit including reasoning
- 8,192 tokens
- Test protocol
- community-visual-tests-v1
- Technical checks
- Passed, not a quality rating
- Response time
- 85.1 s
Visually reviewed. This individual test does not establish overall model quality.
Gemini 4 Argon
Not tested yet
Prompt and test conditions
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
Token limit including reasoning: 8,192 tokens
Task origin (Simon Willison)How to read this comparison
Winning one benchmark is not an overall verdict
Your workload, budget, and required context length matter most. A coding benchmark says little about visual understanding or agent performance.
The standard price table uses direct developer rates. The provider comparison labels OpenRouter endpoints, regions, and special tariffs separately.
Every result links to its measurement source and retrieval date. Labels distinguish vendor reports, official benchmark leaderboards, and independent evaluations. Disputed or archived results are excluded.
More matchups
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Compare Claude Opus 4.6 and Gemini 4 Argon with other leading models using the same data and benchmark logic.