o3 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
o3 is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 at $2.00/1M/1M vs $3.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 1.5x cost difference. o3 scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1395). Choose o3 for cost-sensitive workloads; both are strong choices depending on your budget.
Which is cheaper: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
o3 is the cheaper option at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $3.00/1M for Claude Sonnet 4.6. That is a 1.5x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: o3 charges $8.00/1M/1M vs $15.00/1M/1M for Claude Sonnet 4.6.
Which has better quality: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, o3 achieves a higher ELO score (1395 vs 1390), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. o3 excels at top-tier reasoning on math, science, and agentic tasks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is known for best combination of speed and intelligence in the claude family.
Which should you choose: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
- → Top-tier reasoning on math, science, and agentic tasks
- → 87% cheaper than original o1 at the same capability tier
- → 200K context window
- → Best combination of speed and intelligence in the Claude family
- → 1M token context window at standard pricing
- → Extended thinking and adaptive thinking supported
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
o3 is cheaper at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 1.5x more affordable.
Which has better quality: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
o3 scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1395, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a larger context window at 1000K tokens.
Should I choose o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Choose o3 if cost is the priority. Choose o3 if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: o3 is best for reasoning and math, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 excels at coding and function-calling.
Is o3 or Claude Sonnet 4.6 open source?
o3 is proprietary. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary.