Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemma 4 E2B
Claude Sonnet 4.5 (2025) and Gemma 4 E2B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Claude Sonnet 4.5 ships a 200k-token context window, while Gemma 4 E2B ships a 128k-token context window. On MMMU Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads by 24.7 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemma 4 E2B is safer overall; choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 when reasoning depth matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Gemma 4 E2B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $15/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMMU Pro leader | 1 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMMU Pro, ahead by 24.7 points.
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 uniquely exposes Vision, Reasoning, and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Sonnet 4.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 4 E2B for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude Sonnet 4.5
$6,150
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Microsoft Foundry
Gemma 4 E2B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI and AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Reasoning, and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI and AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 adds Vision, Reasoning, and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-09-29 | 2026-03-31 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | 2B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | 2025-01 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Gemma 4 E2B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price |
| - |
| Output price |
| - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Gemma 4 E2B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Gemma 4 E2B |
|---|---|---|
| MMMU Pro | 68.9 | 44.2 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMMU Pro has Claude Sonnet 4.5 at 68.9 and Gemma 4 E2B at 44.2, with Claude Sonnet 4.5 ahead by 24.7 points. The largest visible gap is 24.7 points on MMMU Pro, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Claude Sonnet 4.5, reasoning mode: Claude Sonnet 4.5, tool use: Claude Sonnet 4.5, and structured outputs: Claude Sonnet 4.5. Both models share multimodal input and function calling, 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Claude Sonnet 4.5 has $3/1M input tokens and Gemma 4 E2B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 8 tracked routes versus 2. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 when reasoning depth, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Gemma 4 E2B when provider fit are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 4 E2B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 supports 200k tokens, while Gemma 4 E2B supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 4 E2B open source?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is listed under Proprietary. Gemma 4 E2B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 4 E2B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 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 Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 4 E2B?
Both Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Gemma 4 E2B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 4 E2B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Gemma 4 E2B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Anthropic, Snowflake Cortex, GCP Vertex AI, and AWS Bedrock. Gemma 4 E2B is available on GCP Vertex AI and AWS Bedrock. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.