Updated March 26, 2026· Based on independent benchmark data
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) and Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) are virtually tied on intelligence (51.7 vs 53.0). Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) is 1.7x cheaper at $3.00/1M tokens vs $5.00/1M. For speed, Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) wins at 71 tok/s vs 51 tok/s.
| Metric | Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) | Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Score | 51.7 | 53.0 |
| Coding Score | 50.9 | 48.1 |
| Math Score | N/A | N/A |
| Speed (tok/s) | 71 tok/s | 51 tok/s |
| Latency (TTFT) | 32.16s | 12.63s |
| Input Price / 1M tokens | $3.00 | $5.00 |
| Output Price / 1M tokens | $15 | $25 |
| Context Window |
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) and Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) perform similarly on overall intelligence, scoring 51.7 and 53.0 respectively. For coding tasks, Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) has the edge with a coding score of 50.9 vs 48.1.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) generates output significantly faster at 71 tok/s compared to Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort)'s 51 tok/s, making it 1.4x faster for streaming responses. Time to first token is 12.63s for Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) vs 32.16s for Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort), which affects perceived responsiveness in interactive applications.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) is more affordable at $3.00/1M input tokens ($15/1M output), while Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) costs $5.00/1M input ($25/1M output). For a typical workload of 100 requests per day at 2,000 tokens each, Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) would cost approximately $18.00/month vs $30.00/month for Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) in input costs alone.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) when you need stronger coding performance (50.9), faster output (71 tok/s), lower cost.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) scores higher on coding benchmarks (50.9 vs 48.1), making it the better choice for programming tasks.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) is cheaper at $3.00/1M input tokens vs $5.00/1M for Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort).
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) is faster, producing output at 71 tok/s compared to Claude Opus 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort)'s 51 tok/s.
No, Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort) does not support image input. Neither model supports image input.
Data last synced: March 26, 2026
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Max Output Tokens | N/A | N/A |
| Input Modalities | Text | Text |
| Output Modalities | Text | Text |
| Free Tier | No | No |
Both models perform similarly on intelligence benchmarks. Choose based on specific needs: pricing, speed, context window, or provider ecosystem.