Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.5
Anthropic's mid-tier powerhouse against OpenAI's premium flagship. Sonnet 4.6 is 40% cheaper on input and 50% cheaper on output — with 1M context matching GPT-5.5.
Pricing data verified: 2026-06-20
| Specification | Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) | GPT-5.5 (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price (per 1M tokens) | $3.00 | $5.00 |
| Output Price (per 1M tokens) | $15.00 | $30.00 |
| Context Window | 1M | 1.05M |
| Tier | Mid | Premium |
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
Calculate Your Exact Costs
See how the costs stack up for your specific usage pattern.
Other Models to Consider
Which Model for Which Use Case?
Cost-Sensitive Production
At $3/$15 vs $5/$30, Sonnet 4.6 saves 40-50% per request. At 1M requests/day, you'd save $6,000/mo vs GPT-5.5.
Complex Reasoning & Analysis
GPT-5.5 excels at multi-step reasoning and complex analysis. If your tasks require deep chain-of-thought reasoning, GPT-5.5's larger model may justify the cost.
Coding & Instruction Following
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is widely regarded as one of the best coding models. It follows complex instructions precisely and produces cleaner code output.
OpenAI Ecosystem
If you're already using OpenAI's function calling, Assistants API, or other OpenAI-specific features, GPT-5.5 integrates seamlessly with your existing stack.
Comparing Mid-Tier Models?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than GPT-5.5?
Yes. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output — 40% cheaper on input and 50% cheaper on output than GPT-5.5's $5.00/M input and $30.00/M output.
Which model has a larger context window?
Both have 1M token context windows. They're equally capable of handling long documents and complex multi-turn conversations.
When would I choose GPT-5.5 over Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Choose GPT-5.5 if you need OpenAI's ecosystem, function calling, or prefer GPT's reasoning style. GPT-5.5 also has stronger multimodal capabilities.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 worth the savings over GPT-5.5?
At 40-50% lower cost with comparable quality, Claude Sonnet 4.6 offers excellent value. Many teams find Sonnet's instruction-following and coding abilities match or exceed GPT-5.5 for their use cases.