Claude Sonnet 4 vs GPT-5 nano
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
Claude Sonnet 4 specs · GPT-5 nano specs- PriceGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano is roughly 37.5× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $15.00 per 1M).
- Context windowGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 200K, 2.0× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesTie
Both handle text, vision.
- OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.
On balance GPT-5 nano edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against Claude Sonnet 4's 0. GPT-5 nano is roughly 37.5× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $15.00 per 1M). GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 200K, 2.0× the room for long documents and codebases.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. Both target the same set of modalities (text, vision), so the deciding factors are price, context, and raw quality. Both are closed-weight, API-only.
GPT-5 nano is the newer of the two, released 3 months after Claude Sonnet 4, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Claude Sonnet 4 is usually picked for coding llm and rag workloads, while GPT-5 nano sees more deployments in cheapest llm and fastest llm. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Claude Sonnet 4 | GPT-5 nano |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Released | May 2025 | Aug 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision |
| Context window | 200K tokens | 400K tokens |
| Max output | , | 128K tokens |
| Input · 1M | $3.00 / 1M tokens | $0.050 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $15.00 / 1M tokens | $0.40 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-03 | 2024-09 |
| Open weights | No | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$31.50 vs $0.750
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$315 vs $7.50
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$540 vs $9.90
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $31.50 vs $0.750 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $315 vs $7.50 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $540 vs $9.90 per month, model B comes out ahead.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Claude Sonnet 4$1.05
- GPT-5 nano$0.025
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- SWE-bench Verified65.0
Claude Sonnet 4 fits when…
- Solid all-rounder
- Mature deployment ecosystem
GPT-5 nano fits when…
- Lowest-cost OpenAI model with vision support
- Fast P99 latency
- Good enough for routing and classification
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 37.5× cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4 on output tokens.
- Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 200K for Claude Sonnet 4.
Consider Claude Opus 4.7
Anthropic's mid-2026 flagship, ahead on SWE-bench, agent reliability, and writing quality.
Frequently asked
Is Claude Sonnet 4 or GPT-5 nano cheaper?
GPT-5 nano is cheaper at $0.40 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $15.00 / 1M tokens for Claude Sonnet 4.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 200K for Claude Sonnet 4.Is Claude Sonnet 4 or GPT-5 nano better for coding?
Both Claude Sonnet 4 and GPT-5 nano are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Neither model ships open weights, both are accessible only via their respective providers' APIs.When were Claude Sonnet 4 and GPT-5 nano released?
Claude Sonnet 4 was released by Anthropic on 2025-05-22. GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07.
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