Model comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5
- Input
- $3.00
- Output
- $15.00
- Context
- 1M
- Released
- 2026-02-17
- Input
- $3.00
- Output
- $15.00
- Context
- 1M
- Released
- 2025-09-29
Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores higher on 2 of the 2 benchmarks both models report; both charge the same $3 per 1M input tokens.
Specs and pricing side by side
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Anthropic | Anthropicsame |
| Released | 2026-02-17 | 2025-09-29 |
| Context window | 1M | 1Msame |
| Max output | 64K | 64Ksame |
| Input price | $3.00 | $3.00same |
| Output price | $15.00 | $15.00same |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietarysame |
| Weights | API only | API onlysame |
| Modalities | Text, Vision, PDF | Text, Vision, PDFsame |
| Knowledge cutoff | August 2025 | January 2025 |
Not published by either maker: parameters.
Benchmarks both models report
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 79.6% | 77.2% |
| OSWorld | 72.5% | 61.4% |
Scores are as published by each maker or its cited source; harness, reasoning effort and date can differ between rows, so treat small gaps as ties. Sources are listed on each model page.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 if…
- You care about SWE-bench Verified, OSWorld (it scores higher on 2 shared benchmarks).
- Your use case is: agentic coding and large-scale refactors in Claude Code and IDE integrations.
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.5 if…
- Your use case is: long-running autonomous coding agents and multi-hour build tasks.
FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Sonnet 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores higher on 2 of the 2 benchmarks both models report; both charge the same $3 per 1M input tokens. The better pick depends on whether you value benchmark scores, price per token, context length or openness for your workload.
How do Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 pricing compare?
Claude Sonnet 4.6: $3.00 input, $15.00 output. Claude Sonnet 4.5: $3.00 input, $15.00 output (list API prices as published by each maker).
What are the context windows of Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 offers 1M with up to 64K output; Claude Sonnet 4.5 offers 1M with up to 64K output.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 newer than Claude Sonnet 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released 2026-02-17; Claude Sonnet 4.5 was released 2025-09-29.