ClaudevsClaude

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5

Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.

Pricing

Side-by-side pricing

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Mid-tier

Claude Sonnet 5.5

Mid-tier
Input $/MTok
$3.00
$2.00
Output $/MTok
$15.00
$10.00
Cache discount
90% off
90% off
Context
1,000K
1,000K

Quality

Task confidence comparison

Confidence score from zero to one hundred by task type, where higher is better.
Code Generation
57
vs
0
Code Review
95
vs
0
Summarization
61
vs
0
Q&A
88
vs
0
Extraction
71
vs
0
Reasoning
85
vs
0
Classification
84
vs
0
Creative Writing
69
vs
0
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5

Guidance

When to use Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5

Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when...

  • Similar performance; consider provider preference or ecosystem fit.

Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5 when...

  • -Cost matters: 33% cheaper on input tokens

At scale

Cost at scale

Estimated cost assuming a seventy percent input and thirty percent output token split.
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 5.5
100K tokens
$0.66
$0.44Cheaper
1M tokens
$6.60
$4.40Cheaper
10M tokens
$66.00
$44.00Cheaper

FAQ

When should I use Claude Sonnet 4.6 instead of Claude Sonnet 5.5?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.

Is Claude Sonnet 5.5 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Yes. Claude Sonnet 5.5 input costs $2.00/MTok vs $3.00/MTok for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving 33% on input.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 5.5?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a 1,000K token context window. Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a 1,000K token context window.

Track your real costs

Comparisons show estimated costs at list price. The dashboard reveals your real spend and savings.