Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Qwen2.5-72B
Claude Sonnet 4.5 (2025) and Qwen2.5-72B (2025) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and Alibaba. Claude Sonnet 4.5 ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen2.5-72B ships a 128k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads by 14 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Qwen2.5-72B is safer overall; choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 when reasoning depth matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Qwen2.5-72B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $15/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 14 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, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Sonnet 4.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags Qwen2.5-72B 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
Qwen2.5-72B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Qwen2.5-72B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen2.5-72B and Claude Sonnet 4.5; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-09-29 | 2025-10-10 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | 72B |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | 2024-09 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Qwen2.5-72B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price |
| - |
| Output price |
| - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Qwen2.5-72B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Qwen2.5-72B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 86.0 | 72.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Claude Sonnet 4.5 at 86 and Qwen2.5-72B at 72, with Claude Sonnet 4.5 ahead by 14 points. The largest visible gap is 14 points on MMLU 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, multimodal input: Claude Sonnet 4.5, reasoning mode: Claude Sonnet 4.5, and structured outputs: Claude Sonnet 4.5. Both models share function calling and tool use, 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 Qwen2.5-72B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 8 tracked routes versus 0. 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 Qwen2.5-72B 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 Qwen2.5-72B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 supports 200k tokens, while Qwen2.5-72B 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 Qwen2.5-72B open source?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is listed under Proprietary. Qwen2.5-72B 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 Qwen2.5-72B?
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 Qwen2.5-72B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 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.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Qwen2.5-72B?
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 Qwen2.5-72B?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Anthropic, Snowflake Cortex, GCP Vertex AI, and AWS Bedrock. Qwen2.5-72B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.