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GPT-5 vs Claude Sonnet 5

Both mid-tier models: GPT-5 at $1.25/$10 vs Sonnet 5 at $3/$15. GPT-5 is 58% cheaper on input, 33% cheaper on output — but Sonnet 5 has 3.7x larger context (1M vs 272K). Save up to $112/month at scale.

Pricing data verified: Jul 3, 2026

SpecificationGPT-5 (OpenAI)Claude Sonnet 5 (Anthropic)
Input Price (per 1M tokens)$1.25$3.00
Output Price (per 1M tokens)$10.00$15.00
Context Window272K tokens1M tokens
TierMidMid
ProviderOpenAIAnthropic

Calculate Your Exact Costs

GPT-5 is cheaper on both input and output. See exactly how the costs compare at your usage level.

OpenAI
GPT-5
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month

Other Mid-Tier Models

Claude Opus 4.8
Anthropic
$5.00 / $25 per 1M
1M context
GPT-5.4
OpenAI
$2.50 / $15 per 1M
400K context
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Google
$2.00 / $12 per 1M
1M context

Which Model for Which Use Case?

Code Generation

GPT-5 ($1.25/$10) offers strong coding at 58% less input cost. Sonnet 5 ($3/$15) provides premium coding with Anthropic's safety approach. For most coding tasks where 272K context is sufficient, GPT-5 delivers excellent results at a fraction of the cost.

Cost efficiency: GPT-5 | Long context: Sonnet 5

Content Generation

Blog posts, marketing copy, documentation. GPT-5 at $10/1M output vs Sonnet 5 at $15/1M output means GPT-5 saves 33% on every output token. For high-volume content generation, this compounds to significant monthly savings.

Better value: GPT-5 (33% cheaper output)

Long-Context Processing

Sonnet 5's 1M context is 3.7x larger than GPT-5's 272K context. For processing long documents, large codebases, or extended conversation histories, Sonnet 5 has a significant advantage. GPT-5 may require chunking for very long inputs.

Context capacity: Sonnet 5 (3.7x larger)

High-Volume Batch Processing

At scale, GPT-5's savings compound. At 10M input + 10M output tokens/month, GPT-5 costs $112.50 vs Sonnet 5's $180 — saving $67.50/month. For batch workloads where 272K context is sufficient, GPT-5 delivers strong results at nearly 40% less cost.

Savings at scale: GPT-5 ($67.50/month at 10M+10M)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much cheaper is GPT-5 than Claude Sonnet 5?

GPT-5 costs $1.25/$10.00 per 1M tokens while Claude Sonnet 5 costs $3.00/$15.00 per 1M tokens. GPT-5 is 58% cheaper on input and 33% cheaper on output. At 1M input + 1M output tokens/month, GPT-5 costs $11.25 vs Sonnet 5's $18, saving $6.75/month. At 10M input + 10M output, savings reach $112.50/month. GPT-5 wins on price across all usage levels.

Which model has a larger context window?

Claude Sonnet 5 has a significantly larger context window at 1M tokens vs GPT-5's 272K tokens — Sonnet 5's context is 3.7x larger. This is a major advantage for processing long documents, large codebases, and extended conversation histories. GPT-5's 272K context is adequate for most tasks but may require chunking for very long inputs.

Is GPT-5 good enough to replace Claude Sonnet 5?

GPT-5 at $1.25/$10 is a strong mid-tier model that handles most tasks well — code generation, content creation, and chatbot applications. Claude Sonnet 5 at $3/$15 is a stronger mid-tier model with 3.7x larger context window. For cost-sensitive workloads where 272K context is sufficient, GPT-5 offers dramatically better value at 58% less input and 33% less output cost. For tasks requiring long-context processing, Sonnet 5's 1M context may be worth the premium.

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

Choose Claude Sonnet 5 ($3/$15) when you need a 1M token context window (3.7x larger than GPT-5's 272K), Anthropic's safety-focused approach, or when output quality directly impacts your product. Choose GPT-5 ($1.25/$10) for cost-sensitive workloads, high-volume batch processing, or when 58% cheaper input costs and 33% cheaper output costs matter more than context size.

Are both models in the same pricing tier?

Yes, both GPT-5 and Claude Sonnet 5 are in the Mid pricing tier. However, GPT-5 is significantly cheaper at $1.25/$10 vs Sonnet 5's $3/$15 — 2.4x less on input and 1.5x less on output. The key differentiator is context window: Sonnet 5 has 3.7x larger context (1M vs 272K). GPT-5 wins on price, Sonnet 5 wins on context capacity.

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