Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Claude Haiku 4.5
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Claude Haiku 4.5 is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 at $1.00/1M/1M vs $3.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 3.0x cost difference. Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1390). Choose Claude Haiku 4.5 for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Claude Haiku 4.5 is the cheaper option at $1.00/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $3.00/1M for Claude Sonnet 4.6. That is a 3.0x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Claude Sonnet 4.6 charges $15.00/1M/1M vs $5.00/1M/1M for Claude Haiku 4.5.
Which has better quality: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Claude Sonnet 4.6 achieves a higher ELO score (1390 vs 1320), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 excels at best combination of speed and intelligence in the claude family. Claude Haiku 4.5 is known for near-frontier intelligence at the lowest claude price tier.
Which should you choose: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
- → Best combination of speed and intelligence in the Claude family
- → 1M token context window at standard pricing
- → Extended thinking and adaptive thinking supported
- → Near-frontier intelligence at the lowest Claude price tier
- → Fastest Claude model
- → 200K context window
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Claude Haiku 4.5 is cheaper at $1.00/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 3.0x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1390, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a larger context window at 1000K tokens.
Should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Choose Claude Haiku 4.5 if cost is the priority. Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Claude Sonnet 4.6 is best for coding and function-calling, while Claude Haiku 4.5 excels at fast-response and customer-support.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Claude Haiku 4.5 open source?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary. Claude Haiku 4.5 is proprietary.