text model comparison
Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.4
Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.4 are both current text models, from Anthropic and OpenAI. Claude Sonnet 5 is 20% cheaper per 1M input tokens than GPT-5.4, $2 vs $2.50. On Arena Text, Claude Sonnet 5 scores 1461 Elo and GPT-5.4 1475 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 2026). GPT-5.4 has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
Data verified October 12, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-12
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Claude Sonnet 5 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $2 (better) | $2.50 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $10 (better) | $15 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $40 (better) | $55 |
| Arena Text | 1461 Elo (#25 of 39) | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) (better) |
| GPQA Diamond | 90.5% (#23 of 37) | 93.3% (#13 of 37) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 65.6% (#24 of 37) | 78.6% (#15 of 37) (better) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 33.7% (#27 of 34) | 45.1% (#23 of 34) (better) |
| LiveBench Overall | 74.85 points (#4 of 5) | 77.97 points (#3 of 5) (better) |
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Release date | June 30, 2026 | March 5, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Input | text | text, image |
| Output | text | text |
Scores:Arena · 2026-10-12Epoch AI · 2026-10-12LiveBench · 2026-06-25
When to choose each
Claude Sonnet 5
Best for
- Agentic coding evaluations with current introductory API pricing
Watch out for
- The launch price is introductory through 2026-08-31; refresh pricing before evaluating workloads after that date
GPT-5.4
Best for
- Long-context coding and professional-work evaluations
Watch out for
- Prompts above the provider long-context threshold use higher token rates; reproduce cost and quality on the target workload
Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-5.4 FAQ
Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.4?
Claude Sonnet 5 is 20% cheaper per 1M input tokens than GPT-5.4, $2 vs $2.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, Claude Sonnet 5 costs $40 and GPT-5.4 $55 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.4?
GPT-5.4 leads on Arena Text, 1475 Elo to 1461 Elo; GPT-5.4 leads on GPQA Diamond, 93.3% to 90.5%; GPT-5.4 leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 78.6% to 65.6%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.4?
GPT-5.4 has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
Related comparisons
Production evaluation
Choosing between Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.4?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty