Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs Claude 3 Opus
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is cheaper than Claude 3 Opus at $3.00/1M/1M vs $15.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 5.0x cost difference. Claude 3.5 Sonnet scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1295). Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet for cost-sensitive workloads; both are strong choices depending on your budget.
Which is cheaper: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the cheaper option at $3.00/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $15.00/1M for Claude 3 Opus. That is a 5.0x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Claude 3.5 Sonnet charges $15.00/1M/1M vs $75.00/1M/1M for Claude 3 Opus.
Which has better quality: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Claude 3.5 Sonnet achieves a higher ELO score (1295 vs 1249), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Claude 3.5 Sonnet excels at 200k context window — best for long documents. Claude 3 Opus is known for best claude model for creative writing.
Which should you choose: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
- → 200K context window — best for long documents
- → Industry-leading coding performance
- → Nuanced instruction following
- → Best Claude model for creative writing
- → 200K context window
- → Deep, thoughtful long-form analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is cheaper at $3.00/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 5.0x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1295, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Both Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus have the same context window.
Should I choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus?
Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet if cost is the priority. Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Claude 3.5 Sonnet is best for coding and document-analysis, while Claude 3 Opus excels at creative-writing and research.
Is Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude 3 Opus open source?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is proprietary. Claude 3 Opus is proprietary.