Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Llama 4 Scout
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Llama 4 Scout is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 at $0.08/1M/1M vs $3.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 37.5x cost difference. Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1390). Choose Llama 4 Scout for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
Llama 4 Scout is the cheaper option at $0.08/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $3.00/1M for Claude Sonnet 4.6. That is a 37.5x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Claude Sonnet 4.6 charges $15.00/1M/1M vs $0.30/1M/1M for Llama 4 Scout.
Which has better quality: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Claude Sonnet 4.6 achieves a higher ELO score (1390 vs 1280), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 excels at best combination of speed and intelligence in the claude family. Llama 4 Scout is known for runs on a single h100 — cheapest self-host target in the llama 4 family.
Which should you choose: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
- → Best combination of speed and intelligence in the Claude family
- → 1M token context window at standard pricing
- → Extended thinking and adaptive thinking supported
- → Runs on a single H100 — cheapest self-host target in the Llama 4 family
- → 10M token context window — industry-leading for long context
- → Open weights
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
Llama 4 Scout is cheaper at $0.08/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 37.5x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
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 Llama 4 Scout?
Llama 4 Scout has a larger context window at 10000K tokens.
Should I choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout?
Choose Llama 4 Scout 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 Llama 4 Scout excels at long-context and low-cost.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Llama 4 Scout open source?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary. Llama 4 Scout is open source.