Comparison
Claude Opus 4.6 vs Sonnet 5: Complete Comparison Guide
Detailed comparison of Claude Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 5: benchmarks, pricing, speed, use cases, and which model to choose for your specific needs.
February 2026
TL;DR
Opus 4.6 leads in raw capability (82.1% vs 80.9% SWE-bench), reasoning, and complex tasks. Sonnet 5 wins on value (90% cheaper), speed (40% faster), and context (500K vs 200K tokens). Most users should default to Sonnet 5, reserving Opus 4.6 for maximum-capability needs.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Opus 4.6 | Sonnet 5 |
|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 82.1% | 80.9% |
| GPQA Diamond | 88.5% | 85.2% |
| Context Window | 200K | 500K |
Pricing
Sonnet 5 is 10x cheaper than Opus 4.6 ($9 vs $90 per million tokens).
Conclusion
For 80% of use cases, Sonnet 5 is the right choice. Reserve Opus 4.6 for mission-critical tasks requiring absolute maximum capability.