Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Claude Sonnet 4 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,455 vs 1,280), while Claude Sonnet 4 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (62.8%), while Claude 3.5 Sonnet is more budget-friendly at $15/1M per 1M output tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4 provides faster response streaming (92 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
7 benchmarks evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
2024 workhorse. Still a high-intent compare against GPT-4o.
First Sonnet 4 generation. Bridge between 3.5/3.7 and Sonnet 5.
Δ 175 Arena Elo pts
92 tok/s
$15 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top standard models across 6 key capability dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Claude Sonnet 4 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +175 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +11.1% | ||
| SWE-bench | +13.8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +11.4% | ||
| Time to first token | +60 ms | ||
| Output speed | 80 tok/s | 92 tok/s | +12 tok/s |
| Input price | — | ||
| Output price | — | ||
| Context window | +800k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Higher SWE-bench (62.8%).
Lower output list price ($15/1M).
Lower TTFT (220 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Sonnet 4).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Sonnet 4 | Higher SWE-bench (62.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Lower output list price ($15/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Claude Sonnet 4 | Lower TTFT (220 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Sonnet 4 | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Sonnet 4 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Sonnet 4). |
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
Dynamic OpenGraph banner generated at /compare/claude-3-5-sonnet-vs-claude-sonnet-4/opengraph-image
Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
