Claude 3 Sonnet vs GPT-4
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
Claude 3 Sonnet
AnthropicFirst generation Sonnet. Balanced performance for general tasks.
| Input | $3.00/M |
| Output | $15.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | General-purpose coding and reasoning |
| Benchmark | 65/100 |
GPT-4
OpenAIOriginal GPT-4. Most expensive OpenAI model, largely superseded by newer options.
| Input | $30.00/M |
| Output | $60.00/M |
| Context | 8K tokens |
| Best For | Legacy applications requiring GPT-4 specifically |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Claude 3 Sonnet | GPT-4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65 | 68 | GPT-4 leads by 3pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 58 | 60 | GPT-4 leads by 2pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 68 | 70 | GPT-4 leads by 2pts |
| HumanEval | 85 | 86 | GPT-4 leads by 1pts |
| BigCodeBench | 50 | 54 | GPT-4 leads by 4pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Claude 3 Sonnet | GPT-4 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.55 | $2.85 | Claude 3 Sonnet saves $2.29 (81%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $4.05 | $22.50 | Claude 3 Sonnet saves $18.45 (82%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $20.25 | $112.50 | Claude 3 Sonnet saves $92.25 (82%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.90 | $6.75 | Claude 3 Sonnet saves $5.85 (87%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude 3 Sonnet | 65 | $0.046/pt | Better value |
| GPT-4 | 68 | $0.441/pt | Higher cost per point |
Claude 3 Sonnet delivers the best value at $0.046 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Claude 3 Sonnet
- + Reliable
- + Good value
- - Two generations behind
GPT-4
- + Original breakthrough model
- - Two generations behind
- - Expensive
Verdict
Claude 3 Sonnet is cheaper at $3.00/M, but GPT-4 scores higher on benchmarks (68 vs 65).
Choose Claude 3 Sonnet for cost-sensitive projects, GPT-4 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
Claude Sonnet 4
AnthropicAnthropic's balanced model for coding and general tasks. Best price-performance ratio in the Claude family.
Claude Opus 4
AnthropicAnthropic's most powerful model. Best for complex reasoning and challenging coding tasks.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
AnthropicPrevious generation Sonnet. Still excellent for coding tasks at the same price point.
Claude 3.5 Haiku
AnthropicFast, cost-effective model for high-volume tasks. Great for code review and simple queries.
Claude 3 Opus
AnthropicFirst generation Opus. Highest reasoning capability in the Claude 3 family.
Claude 3 Haiku
AnthropicCheapest Claude model. Fast responses for simple tasks and basic coding.