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GPT-5.6 Sol vs Claude Sonnet 5
A straight cost comparison of GPT-5.6 Sol (OpenAI) and Claude Sonnet 5 (Anthropic), per 1,000,000 tokens, verified October 2026.
Rate-by-rate comparison
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Sol | Claude Sonnet 5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M | $4 | $2 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.40 | $0.20 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Cache write / 1M | $5 | $2.50 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Output / 1M | $20 | $10 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Context window | 1,050,000 | 1,000,000 | GPT-5.6 Sol |
| Batch API | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Long-context tier | > 272,000 | None | — |
For per-token metrics, the lower number wins. For context window and batch support, the higher or broader option wins. A dash means the provider does not publish that rate: a missing cache-write fee means writes are not billed per token, while a missing cached-input rate means cache hits bill at the full input rate.
Blended cost: 1M input + 250K output
| Model | Blended cost | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Sol | $9 | +$4.50 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | $4.50 | Cheaper |
Ten workloads, two bills
The same two models, priced across ten workloads that differ only in their input:output ratio. Nothing else changes — no retries, no system prompt, no middleware.
| Workload | GPT-5.6 Sol | Claude Sonnet 5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification 100K reqs · 500 in / 10 out | $220 | $110 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Data extraction 10K reqs · 2K in / 200 out | $120 | $60 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Support chat 1K reqs · 4K in / 600 out | $28 | $14 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Code review 2K reqs · 8K in / 1.5K out | $124 | $62 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Summarisation 1K reqs · 20K in / 1K out | $100 | $50 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Agent loop 5K reqs · 12K in / 2K out | $440 | $220 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Translation 500 reqs · 15K in / 15K out | $180 | $90 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Long-document QA 200 reqs · 120K in / 800 out | $99.20 | $49.60 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Cached RAG 1K reqs · 50K in (45K cached) / 1K out | $58.21 | $29.10 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| Nightly batch 10K reqs · 10K in / 2K out | $400 | $200 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
GPT-5.6 Sol wins 0 of 10, Claude Sonnet 5 wins 10 of 10. The winner is set by the token mix, not by the headline rate.
Where the two bills cross over
Claude Sonnet 5 is cheaper on both sides of the mix: $2 vs $4 per million input tokens, and $10 vs $20 per million output. No input:output ratio reverses that, so on price alone the other model never becomes the better choice — it has to win on context, latency or output quality.
Cost at four scales
The same support-chat workload (4K input, 600 output per request) at four monthly volumes.
| Requests / month | GPT-5.6 Sol | Claude Sonnet 5 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $2.80 | $1.40 | Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper by $1.40 |
| 1,000 | $28 | $14 | Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper by $14 |
| 10,000 | $280 | $140 | Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper by $140 |
| 100,000 | $2,800 | $1,400 | Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper by $1,400 |
What caching does to each bill
Caching only helps the part of the prompt that repeats. This is the support-chat workload (1,000 requests, 4,000 input tokens each) with an increasing share of that prompt served from a warm cache, written once on the first request.
| Cached share of the prompt | GPT-5.6 Sol | Claude Sonnet 5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $28 | $14 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| 50% | $20.81 | $10.40 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| 80% | $16.49 | $8.25 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
| 95% | $14.34 | $7.17 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
Both models publish a cached-read rate, so the discount is comparable: GPT-5.6 Sol reads cache at $0.40 per million, Claude Sonnet 5 at $0.20.
Which one should you pick?
GPT-5.6 Sol wins on none of the ten workloads above, while Claude Sonnet 5 wins on classification, data extraction, support chat, code review, summarisation, agent loop, translation, long-document qa, cached rag, nightly batch.
Beyond price, the two differ on input rate ($4 vs $2); output rate ($20 vs $10); cached-input rate ($0.40 vs $0.20); cache-write rate ($5 vs $2.50); context window (1,050,000 vs 1,000,000); long-context tier (yes, above 272,000 vs none).
Batch mode is available on GPT-5.6 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5, which halves the nightly job. Both publish cached-input discounts, so a stable system prompt is worth caching on either.
FAQ
Is GPT-5.6 Sol cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5?
On a blended 1M-input-plus-250K-output workload, Claude Sonnet 5 is cheaper by 50% ($4.50 vs $9). The gap changes for cache-heavy prompts and for batch jobs, as the workload table shows.
Which handles longer prompts, GPT-5.6 Sol or Claude Sonnet 5?
GPT-5.6 Sol has the larger context window (1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens). Watch the long-context threshold on GPT-5.6 Sol: rates rise once input passes it.
Do both models support prompt caching?
GPT-5.6 Sol bills cached reads at $0.40 per 1M; Claude Sonnet 5 at $0.20.
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