Head-to-head comparison

Claude Sonnet 5 vs. Claude Opus 4.6

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

shared result series: 0
distinct benchmarks: 0
latest retrieval: No data

First modelSecond model

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 5 and Claude Opus 4.6
Attribute	Claude Sonnet 5	Claude Opus 4.6
Provider	Anthropic	Anthropic
Released	Jun 30, 2026	Feb 2026
Availability	Active	Active
Model type	Proprietary	Proprietary
Parameters	Not published	Not published
Architecture	Not published	Not published
Context window	1,000,000 tokens	1,000,000 tokens
Knowledge cutoff	January 2026	May 2025
Technical sources	Model, Context	Model, Context

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 5 and Claude Opus 4.6
Price type	Claude Sonnet 5	Claude Opus 4.6
API input	$2	$5
API output	$10	$25
Cache read	$0.2	$0.5
Cache write (5 min.)	$2.5	$6.25
Cache write (1 hr.)	$4	$10
Price verified	09/02/2026 Source	07/30/2026 Source

Claude Sonnet 5Claude Opus 4.6

API inputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier

Claude Sonnet 5$2

Claude Opus 4.6$5

API outputUSD per 1M tokens, base tier

Claude Sonnet 5$10

Claude Opus 4.6$25

Cache readUSD per 1M tokens, base tier

Claude Sonnet 5$0.2

Claude Opus 4.6$0.5

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 5 and Claude Opus 4.6
Model	Provider	Purchase route and tariff	Input per 1M tokens	Output per 1M tokens	Source
Claude Sonnet 5	Anthropic	Direct from developerStandard API	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/02/2026
	Amazon Bedrock	Via OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/eu-west-1	$2.2	$11	Source09/12/2026
	Amazon Bedrock	Via OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/global	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Amazon Bedrock	Via OpenRouteramazon-bedrock/us-east-1	$2.2	$11	Source09/12/2026
	Anthropic	Via OpenRouteranthropic	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Azure	Via OpenRouterazure/global	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Azure	Via OpenRouterazure/us	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Claude Platform on AWS	Via OpenRouterclaude-on-aws	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Google	Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/europe	$2.2	$11	Source09/12/2026
	Google	Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/global	Lowest listed price: $2	Lowest listed price: $10	Source09/12/2026
	Google	Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/us	$2.2	$11	Source09/12/2026
Claude Opus 4.6	Anthropic	Direct from developerStandard API	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source07/30/2026
	Amazon Bedrock	Via OpenRouteramazon-bedrock	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source09/12/2026
	Anthropic	Via OpenRouteranthropic	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source09/12/2026
	Azure	Via OpenRouterazure/global	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source09/12/2026
	Claude Platform on AWS	Via OpenRouterclaude-on-aws	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source09/12/2026
	Google	Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/europe	$5.5	$27.5	Source09/12/2026
	Google	Via OpenRoutergoogle-vertex/global	Lowest listed price: $5	Lowest listed price: $25	Source09/12/2026

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.

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.

No directly comparable result series yet

No published benchmark for Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Opus 4.6 currently matches in version, task, metric, and comparison cohort. We therefore show no estimated or blended values.

Our model tests

Community tests you can inspect

Compare how the models respond to the same prompt. Each test shows the first attempt, with no subsequent fixes to the generated code. These results do not contribute to an overall score.

Pelican on a bicycle

A community classic for free-form SVG drawing.

Claude Sonnet 5

First attempt

Run date: 7 Sept 2026
API provider: openrouter
Requested API model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-5
API model reported in response: anthropic/claude-sonnet-5
Pinned endpoint: Anthropic | anthropic/claude-sonnet-5-20260630
Reasoning setting: high
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: 47.9 s

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

Claude Opus 4.6

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

Compare Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Opus 4.6 with other leading models using the same data and benchmark logic.

View the complete LLM comparison