Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Grok-3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (2026) and Grok-3 (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Anthropic and xAI. Claude Sonnet 4.6 ships a 1m-token context window, while Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Claude Sonnet 4.6 leads by 7.4 pts. On pricing, Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input tokens versus $3/1M 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-3 is ~275% cheaper at $0.80/1M; pay for Claude Sonnet 4.6 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1m | 131k |
| Cheapest output | $15/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 7 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 7.4 points.
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 uniquely exposes Code execution, Computer use, and Parallel agents in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Sonnet 4.6 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Grok-3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.40/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude Sonnet 4.6
$6,150
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Grok-3
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Estimated monthly gap: $4,910. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $12.60/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution, Computer use, and Parallel agents before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $12.60/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 adds Code execution, Computer use, and Parallel agents in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-02-17 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 1m | 131k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-12 | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $3/1M tokens | $0.80/1M tokens |
| Output price | $15/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | Yes | No |
| Parallel agents | Yes | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 87.3 | 79.9 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 89.9 | 84.6 |
| AIME 2025 | 94.0 | 93.3 |
| LiveCodeBench | 80.0 | 79.4 |
| Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding | 83.6 | 78.0 |
| HumanEval | 98.0 | 94.5 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1459.0 | 1405.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 87.3 and Grok-3 at 79.9, with Claude Sonnet 4.6 ahead by 7.4 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 89.9 and Grok-3 at 84.6, with Claude Sonnet 4.6 ahead by 5.3 points; AIME 2025 has Claude Sonnet 4.6 at 94 and Grok-3 at 93.3, with Claude Sonnet 4.6 ahead by 0.7 points. The largest visible gap is 7.4 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 code execution: Claude Sonnet 4.6. Both models share vision, multimodal input, reasoning mode, 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.
For cost, Claude Sonnet 4.6 lists $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Grok-3 lists $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok-3 lower by about $5.32 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok-3 when vision-heavy evaluation 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Grok-3?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1m tokens, while Grok-3 supports 131k 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 Sonnet 4.6 or Grok-3?
Grok-3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Grok-3 open source?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is listed under Proprietary. Grok-3 is listed under Proprietary. 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 4.6 or Grok-3?
Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok-3 expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Grok-3?
Both Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok-3 expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok-3?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available on OpenRouter, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry. Grok-3 is available on OpenRouter, xAI Console, Chutes AI, and Microsoft Foundry. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-25. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.