Data points: 115
The readout for Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Sonnet 4.6, before the detailed comparison sheet.
Decision read
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 4.6 currently has the stronger profile, with verified wins split 2 to 4.
Evidence depth
115 data points
Includes 8 benchmark rows, 6 audit samples, and 9 provider examples.
Selection signal
Start with Claude Sonnet 4.6
The charts below split 23 high-signal samples across speed, scores, and audit health.
Model compare Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6claude-opus-4-8-vs-claude-sonnet-4-6 | Model A Claude Opus 4.8 | Model B Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall leader | Contender | Leading |
| Verified metric wins | 2 wins | 4 wins |
| Where it leads | Average speed, First-token latency |
Third-party benchmark profile synced into LMSpeed; only metrics available for both models are shown.
| Metric | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| HLE | 45.7%#2 |
Latest completed audits from shared providers, with four safety and integrity score groups plus report links.
| Provider | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
Winner: Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 Audit score 100 100 |
Speed aggregates and input/output pricing share each provider row for real API selection and migration cost checks.
| Provider | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
25 tests | Claude Opus 4.8 speed / latency N/A / N/A input / output No data |
This report only uses LMSpeed data for Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Sonnet 4.6: pricing, speed aggregates, third-party benchmark scores, and shared provider samples.
| Guidance | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| When to choose each model | Claude Opus 4.8 Claude Opus 4.8 is stronger when you prioritize Average speed, First-token latency. | Claude Sonnet 4.6 Claude Sonnet 4.6 is stronger when you prioritize Cheapest input price, Free providers, Provider coverage, Recent tests. |
TL;DR: Claude Sonnet 4.6 leads across 115 verifiable data points, including pricing, speed, latency, benchmarks, and provider examples.
Continue from Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6 into nearby model comparisons with enough verified LMSpeed data.
| Cheapest input price, Free providers, Provider coverage, Recent tests |
| Model metadata | Claude Opus 4.8 exposes 1M tokens; notable signals: Text input, Image input, File input, Text output. | Claude Sonnet 4.6 exposes 1M tokens; notable signals: Text input, Image input, File input, Text output. |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Max output | 128K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Released | May 2026 | Feb 2026 |
| Modalities | Input TextImageFile Output Text | Input TextImageFile Output Text |
| Features | Text inputImage inputFile inputText outputTool callingStructured outputsJSON modeReasoning | Text inputImage inputFile inputText outputTool callingStructured outputsJSON mode |
| Parameters | No data | No data |
| Tokenizer | Claude | Claude |
| Knowledge cutoff | No data | No data |
| OpenRouter ID | anthropic/claude-opus-4.8-fast | anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 |
| References | No data | No data |
| GPQA | 92.0%#3 | 79.9%#58 |
|---|
| SciCode | 53.5%#7 | 46.9%#16 |
|---|
| Time to first answer token | 17.66 s#69 | 1.28 s#30 |
|---|
| Input price | $5.00/M#41 | $3.00/M#39 |
|---|
| Output price | $25.00/M#47 | $15.00/M#44 |
|---|
| Time to first token | 17.66 s#93 | 1.28 s#51 |
|---|
| Blended price | $10.00/M#68 | $6.00/M#65 |
|---|
Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 No audit yet |
FucheersWinner: Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 No audit yet | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 Audit score 91 64100100100 |
|---|
ApiToken OnlineWinner: Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 No audit yet | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 Audit score 84 6968100100 |
|---|
TokenessWinner: Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 No audit yet | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 Audit score 82 598484100 |
|---|
小水管 APIWinner: Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 Audit score 78 70728088 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 Audit score 82 5375100100 |
|---|
钠 APIWinner: Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 Audit score 76 72727088 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 No audit yet |
|---|
Claude Sonnet 4.6
speed / latency
32 tok/s / 6074ms
input / output
No data
ModelPool10 tests | Claude Opus 4.8 speed / latency N/A / N/A input / output No data | Claude Sonnet 4.6 speed / latency 41 tok/s / 3714ms input / output No data |
|---|
Tokeness10 tests | Claude Opus 4.8 speed / latency 46 tok/s / 2538ms input / output No data | Claude Sonnet 4.6 speed / latency 47 tok/s / 1591ms input / output No data |
|---|
小水管 API10 tests | Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 speed / latency N/A / N/A input / output $0/M / $0/M | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 speed / latency 31 tok/s / 4124ms input / output $0/M / $0/M |
|---|
Aitoke5 tests | Claude Opus 4.8 speed / latency N/A / N/A input / output No data | Claude Sonnet 4.6 speed / latency 43 tok/s / 2401ms input / output No data |
|---|
Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 speed / latency No data input / output $0.030/M / $0.030/M | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 speed / latency No data input / output $0.020/M / $0.020/M |
Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 speed / latency No data input / output $0.034/M / $0.171/M | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 speed / latency No data input / output $0.021/M / $0.103/M |
Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 speed / latency No data input / output $0.040/M / $0.200/M | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 speed / latency No data input / output $0.040/M / $0.200/M |
Claude Opus 4.8 claude-opus-4-8 speed / latency No data input / output $0.200/M / $0.200/M | Claude Sonnet 4.6 claude-sonnet-4-6 speed / latency No data input / output $0.050/M / $0.050/M |
Rankings are based on community-submitted tests and periodic health probes. Advisory only, not official data.
