Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-4o mini
Wins 6 of 6 areas
Coding · Agents · Reasoning · Facts · Images and charts · Following instructions
Wins 0 of 6 areas
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Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the stronger all-rounder.GPT-4o mini is cheaper.
Scores updated · 13 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the six areas where both have results. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- CodingWriting and fixing software30Claude Sonnet 4.63 of 3 tests
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking30Claude Sonnet 4.63 of 3 tests
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own20Claude Sonnet 4.62 of 2 tests
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up10Claude Sonnet 4.61 of 1 test
- Images and chartsUnderstanding pictures, charts and video10Claude Sonnet 4.61 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked10Claude Sonnet 4.61 of 1 test
Facts, images and charts and following instructions rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
GPT-4o mini costs 96% less for the same work.
The biggest differences
The tests each model wins by the widest margin, up to three each. Scores are out of 100.
Where Claude Sonnet 4.6 pulls ahead
- Fixes real GitHub issues in Python projectsSWE-bench Verified+70.9points ahead
- Command-line tasks in a real terminalTerminal-Bench 2.1+65.6points ahead
- Graduate-level biology, physics and chemistry questionsGPQA Diamond+44.9points ahead
Where GPT-4o mini pulls ahead
No clear win on a test scored out of 100.
Every test, side by side
All 13 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
CodingClaude Sonnet 4.6
- SWE-bench VerifiedClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 70.979.68.7+70.9
- Terminal-Bench 2.1Claude Sonnet 4.6 by 65.671.25.6+65.6
- SciCodeClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 27.250.122.9+27.2
AgentsClaude Sonnet 4.6
- GDPValClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 36.736.70+36.7
- τ-Bench V3 · BankingClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 31.534.42.9+31.5
ReasoningClaude Sonnet 4.6
- ARC-AGI-2Claude Sonnet 4.6 by 58.358.30+58.3
- GPQA DiamondClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 44.987.542.6+44.9
- Humanity's Last ExamClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 29.433.64.2+29.4
Images and chartsClaude Sonnet 4.6
- MMMU-ProClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 31.873.341.5+31.8
Following instructionsClaude Sonnet 4.6
- IFBenchClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 25.656.631+25.6
Other results2 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- Artificial Analysis Coding IndexClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 51.66311.4+51.6
- AA IntelligenceClaude Sonnet 4.6 by 23.430.16.7+23.4
Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-4o mini?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 wins all six areas where both have results: coding, agents, reasoning, facts, images and charts and following instructions. GPT-4o mini wins none, but costs 96% less.
Which is better for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.6. It wins 3 of the 3 coding tests both models report; GPT-4o mini wins none.
Which is cheaper?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00 per million input tokens and $15.00 per million output tokens; GPT-4o mini costs $0.15 and $0.60. That makes GPT-4o mini about 96% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 13 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 11 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 2 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.