Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Opus 4.6
Detailed pricing comparison and cost analysis.
Updated April 2026
Cost Simulator
| Feature | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Input Price (1M) | $3.00 | $5.00 |
| Output Price (1M) | $15.00 | $25.00 |
| Context Window | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
Verdict
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00 per 1M input tokens and $15.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $25.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 40% cheaper on input tokens than Claude Opus 4.6. For output tokens, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the more affordable option at $15.00/1M vs $25.00.
On context window, Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000,000 tokens — meaning it can fit more conversation history, documents, or code in a single request. This matters for RAG pipelines, long document analysis, and agentic workflows where context builds up over many turns.
When to choose Claude Sonnet 4.6
- ✓ You need the lowest input token cost ($ 3.00/1M)
- ✓ Your workload is output-heavy — Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates text cheaper
- ✓ You are already integrated with Anthropic
When to choose Claude Opus 4.6
- ✓ You are already integrated with Anthropic
Use the calculator above to simulate your specific workload and find the exact break-even point. For most applications, the cheapest model is the one that minimises your total monthly bill given your input-to-output token ratio.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is cheaper on input tokens at $3.00/1M vs $5.00/1M for Claude Opus 4.6 — a 40% saving.
What is the context window of Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a 1,000,000-token context window. Claude Opus 4.6 has a 1,000,000-token context window. Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports the larger context, suitable for longer documents and agentic workflows.
Which model is better: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Opus 4.6? ▼
The best choice depends on your use case. For cost efficiency on input tokens, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the cheaper option. For maximum context length, Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000,000 tokens. Use the comparison table above to find the right fit for your workload.