Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 vs Grok-2
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 (2025) and Grok-2 (2024) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and xAI. Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 ships a 200k-token context window, while Grok-2 ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, Grok-2 costs $0.50/1M input tokens versus $6/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Grok-2 is ~1100% cheaper at $0.50/1M; pay for Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 | Grok-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Long context |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $30/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Grok-2 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.50/1M tokens.
- Grok-2 uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok-2 for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2
$12,300
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Grok-2
$525
Cheapest tracked route/tier: SiliconFlow
Estimated monthly gap: $11,775. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 and Grok-2; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Grok-2 is $29.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- Grok-2 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Grok-2 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 is $29.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-12-01 | 2024-08-01 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | - | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Grok License |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 | Grok-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $6/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $30/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 | Grok-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2, multimodal input: Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2, and reasoning mode: Grok-2. Both models share structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 lists $6/1M input and $30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Grok-2 lists $0.50/1M input and $0.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok-2 lower by about $12.70 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok-2 when reasoning depth and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 or Grok-2?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 supports 200k tokens, while Grok-2 supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 or Grok-2?
Grok-2 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 costs $6/1M input and $30/1M output tokens. Grok-2 costs $0.50/1M input and $0.50/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 or Grok-2 open source?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 is listed under Proprietary. Grok-2 is listed under Grok License. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 or Grok-2?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 or Grok-2?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 and Grok-2?
Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2 is available on AWS Bedrock and Anthropic. Grok-2 is available on SiliconFlow. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.