Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5

Detailed pricing comparison and cost analysis.

Updated April 2026

Cost Simulator

Claude Sonnet 4 Cost
$6.00
Claude Sonnet 4.5 Cost
$6.00
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is 0% cheaper
FeatureClaude Sonnet 4Claude Sonnet 4.5
ProviderAnthropicAnthropic
Input Price (1M)$3.00$3.00
Output Price (1M)$15.00$15.00
Context Window200,000200,000

Verdict

Claude Sonnet 4 costs $3.00 per 1M input tokens and $15.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.00 per 1M input tokens and $15.00 per 1M output tokens. Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 have identical input token pricing. For output tokens, Claude Sonnet 4 is the more affordable option at $15.00/1M vs $15.00.

On context window, Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200,000 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

  • ✓ You are already integrated with Anthropic

When to choose Claude Sonnet 4.5

  • ✓ 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 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.5?

Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 have identical input token pricing at $3.00/1M tokens.

What is the context window of Claude Sonnet 4 vs Claude Sonnet 4.5?

Claude Sonnet 4 has a 200,000-token context window. Claude Sonnet 4.5 has a 200,000-token context window. Claude Sonnet 4 supports the larger context, suitable for longer documents and agentic workflows.

Which model is better: Claude Sonnet 4 or Claude Sonnet 4.5?

The best choice depends on your use case. For cost efficiency on input tokens, Claude Sonnet 4 is the cheaper option. For maximum context length, Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200,000 tokens. Use the comparison table above to find the right fit for your workload.