Flagship vs Flagship
GPT-5.6 Sol vs Claude Sonnet 5
Two flagship models, one costs 67% less on output. Which offers better value for your workload?
Last verified: Jul 13, 2026 · See all 67 models ranked →
| Feature | GPT-5.6 Sol | Claude Sonnet 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price (per 1M tokens) | $5.00 | $2.00 |
| Output price (per 1M tokens) | $30.00 | $10.00 |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Standard request cost | $0.0195 | $0.007 |
| Output-heavy request cost | $0.06 | $0.02 |
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OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
$0
estimated monthly cost
Input cost$0
Output cost$0
Per request$0
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
$0
estimated monthly cost
Input cost$0
Output cost$0
Per request$0
The Verdict
Claude Sonnet 5 dominates on price. GPT-5.6 Sol has a slight context edge.
Claude Sonnet 5 ($2/$10) is dramatically cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5/$30) — 60% less on input, 67% less on output. Same 1M+ context window tier. For most workloads, Sonnet 5 is the clear value winner. GPT-5.6 Sol only makes sense if you need the absolute latest model performance or the extra 5% context (1.05M vs 1M).
When to Choose Claude Sonnet 5
- Cost-sensitive production: At $2/$10, Sonnet 5 delivers flagship performance at a fraction of Sol's price. For high-volume APIs, this saves thousands per month.
- Output-heavy tasks: Chatbots, code generation, summarization — Sonnet 5's $10 output price beats Sol's $30 by 67%.
- Startup budgets: If you're building an AI startup and need to manage costs, Sonnet 5 gives you 3x the requests for the same budget.
When to Choose GPT-5.6 Sol
- Maximum context: The 1.05M context window is the largest available. If you need to process entire codebases or 500K+ token documents, Sol has the edge.
- Cutting-edge performance: GPT-5.6 is OpenAI's latest — if you need the absolute latest model capabilities for complex reasoning, Sol may have an edge. Test both for your specific use case.
- OpenAI ecosystem: If you're already using OpenAI's API and want to stay in their ecosystem.
Cost Comparison: Real-World Scenarios
Chatbot (1,000 requests/day, 1,500 input, 400 output)
GPT-5.6 Sol$585.00/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$210.00/mo
Monthly savings$375.00/mo (64%)
Code Generation (200 requests/day, 3,000 input, 1,200 output)
GPT-5.6 Sol$3,600.00/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$1,200.00/mo
Monthly savings$2,400.00/mo (67%)
RAG Pipeline (500 queries/day, 5,000 input, 800 output)
GPT-5.6 Sol$1,950.00/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$650.00/mo
Monthly savings$1,300.00/mo (67%)
Full Comparison Table
| Model | Input/1M | Output/1M | vs GPT-5.6 Sol | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Sol | $5.00 | $30.00 | — | 1.05M |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | $2.00 | $10.00 | 60% cheaper input, 67% cheaper output | 1M |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | $5.00 | $25.00 | Same input, 17% cheaper output | 1M |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | $2.50 | $15.00 | 50% cheaper input, 50% cheaper output | 1.05M |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 | 60% cheaper input, 60% cheaper output | 1M |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.44 | $0.87 | 91% cheaper input, 97% cheaper output | 1M |
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