Skip to main content

Head-to-head comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs. Grok 4.3

Compare published benchmark results from matching versions and cohorts, API pricing, and technical specifications. Any documented test setup differences remain visible.

shared result series
24
distinct benchmarks
24
latest retrieval
2026-09-29

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.

Specifications for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.3
AttributeClaude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.3
ProviderAnthropicxAI
ReleasedFeb 2026May 6, 2026
AvailabilityActiveActive
Model typeProprietaryProprietary
ParametersNot publishedNot published
ArchitectureNot publishedNot published
Context window1,000,000 tokens1,000,000 tokens
Knowledge cutoffAugust 2025Not published
Technical sourcesModel, ContextModel

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.

API pricing for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.3
Price typeClaude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.3
API input$3$1.25 ≤200K / $2.5 >200K
API output$15$2.5 ≤200K / $5 >200K
Cache read$0.3$0.2 ≤200K / $0.4 >200K
Cache write (5 min.)$3.75Not listed
Cache write (1 hr.)$6Not listed
Price verified09/22/2026 Source09/22/2026 Source
Claude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.3
API inputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Sonnet 4.6$3
Grok 4.3Lower price$1.25
API outputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Sonnet 4.6$15
Grok 4.3Lower price$2.5
Cache readUSD per 1M tokens, base tier
Claude Sonnet 4.6$0.3
Grok 4.3Lower price$0.2

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.

Provider pricing for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.3
ModelProviderPurchase route and tariffInput per 1M tokensOutput per 1M tokensSource
Claude Sonnet 4.6AnthropicDirect from developerStandard APILowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source09/22/2026
Amazon BedrockVia OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/eu-west-1$3.3$16.5Source10/14/2026
Amazon BedrockVia OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/globalLowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source10/14/2026
Amazon BedrockVia OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/us$3.3$16.5Source10/14/2026
AnthropicVia OpenRouteranthropicLowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source10/14/2026
AzureVia OpenRouterazure/globalLowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source10/14/2026
Claude Platform on AWSVia OpenRouterclaude-on-awsLowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source10/14/2026
GoogleVia OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/europe$3.3$16.5Source10/14/2026
GoogleVia OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/globalLowest listed price: $3Lowest listed price: $15Source10/14/2026
GoogleVia OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/us-east5$3.3$16.5Source10/14/2026
Grok 4.3xAIDirect from developerUp to 200,000 context tokensLowest listed price: $1.25Lowest listed price: $2.5Source09/22/2026
xAIDirect from developerAbove 200,000 context tokens$2.5$5Source09/22/2026
xAIVia OpenRouterxaiLowest listed price: $1.25Lowest listed price: $2.5Source10/14/2026
xAIVia OpenRouterxai/priority$2.5$5Source10/14/2026
xAIVia OpenRouterxai/zdrLowest listed price: $1.25Lowest listed price: $2.5Source10/14/2026
xAIVia OpenRouterxai/zdr/priority$2.5$5Source10/14/2026

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.

255075100CodingReasoningKnowledgeFinanceLegalAgentic tasksMultimodalProductivity
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Grok 4.3
Coding: 99.4 / 49.4 (5 benchmark families)
Reasoning: 93.6 / 100 (1 benchmark family)
Knowledge: 100 / 98.3 (1 benchmark family)
Finance: 99.2 / 70.1 (6 benchmark families)
Legal: 99.1 / 49.4 (3 benchmark families)
Agentic tasks: 100 / 78 (2 benchmark families)
Multimodal: 100 / 99.4 (1 benchmark family)
Productivity: 100 / 82.8 (1 benchmark family)

24 matched rows from 23 benchmark families were considered. The radar shows 8 of 10 comparable categories.

Claude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.3
Code MigrationOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner39.892 %
Grok 4.36.795 %
CorpFin v2Overall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.665.307 %
Grok 4.3Winner68.532 %
EMBOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner60.154 %
Grok 4.318.394 %
Finance Agent (v2)Overall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner51.035 %
Grok 4.337.728 %
GPQA DiamondOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.685.606 %
Grok 4.3Winner91.414 %
Harvey's Legal Agent BenchmarkOverall · Task fully resolved. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner5 %
Grok 4.30.417 %
Legal Research BenchOverall · All-pass. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner38.462 %
Grok 4.315.385 %
LegalBenchOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.682.12 %
Grok 4.3Winner84.458 %
LiveCodeBench v6Overall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.682.091 %
Grok 4.3Winner84.494 %
MMLU-ProOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner87.341 %
Grok 4.385.838 %
MMMU-ProOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner83.584 %
Grok 4.383.064 %
MortgageTaxOverall. Higher is better. No documented setup difference
Claude Sonnet 4.6Winner67.726 %
Grok 4.348.252 %

Key to the marks:better valuebetter, but not conclusivetie

Benchmark scores for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.3
Benchmark and taskClaude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.3Source
Code MigrationOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner39.892 %
6.795 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
CorpFin v2Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
65.307 %
Winner68.532 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 08/12/2026
EMBOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner60.154 %
18.394 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
Finance Agent (v2)Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner51.035 %
37.728 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
GPQA DiamondOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
85.606 %
Winner91.414 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
Harvey's Legal Agent BenchmarkOverall · Task fully resolved
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: task resolution rateScoring: Higher is better
Winner5 %
0.417 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
Legal Research BenchOverall · All-pass
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: all-pass rateScoring: Higher is better
Winner38.462 %
15.385 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
LegalBenchOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
82.12 %
Winner84.458 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
LiveCodeBench v6Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
82.091 %
Winner84.494 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
MMLU-ProOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner87.341 %
85.838 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
MMMU-ProOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner83.584 %
83.064 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
MortgageTaxOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner67.726 %
48.252 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
ProgramBenchOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner0.5 %
0 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
Public Benefits Bench v1.1Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1.1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner62.449 %
51.691 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
SAGEOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner46.582 %
19.736 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/26/2026
SkillsBenchOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is betterSettings: Harness: OpenHands
Winner49.052 %
40.638 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
SWE-bench VerifiedOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner77.4 %
71.4 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
Tax Agent BenchOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner64.854 %
34.416 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
TaxEval v2Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner77.106 %
70.81 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/01/2026
Terminal-Bench 2.0Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2.0Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner59.551 %
43.446 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 06/04/2026
Terminal-Bench 2.1Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2.1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is better
Winner57.303 %
41.948 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
Vals IndexOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 2Metric: weighted index scoreScoring: Higher is better
Winner50.593 %
24.294 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026
Vals Multimodal IndexOverall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1.2Metric: weighted index scoreScoring: Higher is better
Winner60.571 %
43.293 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 08/11/2026
Vibe Code Bench v1.1Overall
Test details
No documented difference in the test setupVersion: 1.1Metric: accuracyScoring: Higher is betterSettings: Harness: OpenHands
Winner51.476 %
19.403 %
Vals AI
Source details
Data as of: 09/27/2026

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: 4ae5d8eeb9a9

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Claude Sonnet 4.6: SVG short test
API reports 0 reasoning tokensTest run: Oct 12, 2026Provider: anthropicAPI model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6807 output tokens

Grok 4.3

Grok 4.3: SVG short test
API reports 0 reasoning tokensTest run: Oct 12, 2026Provider: xaiAPI model: x-ai/grok-4.3393 output tokens
Earlier tests

Pelican on a bicycle

A community classic for free-form SVG drawing.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

The response reached the token limit. No complete recording is available.

Reasoning (requested): high

Current attempt
Run date
Oct 6, 2026
API provider
openrouter
Requested API model
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
API model reported in response
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
Reasoning setting
high
Pinned endpoint
Anthropic | anthropic/claude-4.6-sonnet-20260217
Temperature
Provider default
Token limit including reasoning
8,192 tokens
Test protocol
community-visual-tests-v1
Technical checks
Failed
Response time
106 s

Not yet visually reviewed. A successful recording does not confirm correct physics or full compliance with the prompt.

Earlier attempts (2)
  • Oct 2, 2026API request failedReasoning setting: high
  • Oct 1, 2026API request failedReasoning setting: high

Grok 4.3

Grok 4.3: Pelican on a bicycle
A community classic for free-form SVG drawing.

Reasoning (requested): high

Current attempt
Run date
Sep 7, 2026
API provider
openrouter
Requested API model
x-ai/grok-4.3
API model reported in response
x-ai/grok-4.3
Reasoning setting
high
Pinned endpoint
xAI | x-ai/grok-4.3-20260430
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
149 s

Visually reviewed. This individual test does not establish overall model quality.

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

Related LLM comparisons

Compare Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.3 with other leading models using the same data and benchmark logic.

View the complete LLM comparison