Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
This page compares Claude Sonnet 5 (Anthropic) and OpenAI: o3 Mini (OpenAI) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, OpenAI: o3 Mini is ahead by 4 points (1,560 vs 1,556; seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, OpenAI: o3 Mini resolves 78.5% versus 73.8% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). Claude Sonnet 5 streams faster (118 tok/s) while OpenAI: o3 Mini is the cheaper output token ($4.4/1M). Claude Sonnet 5 has the larger context window (1M tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5Anthropic workhorse. Official $2/$10 per 1M tokens made permanent on Aug 10 2026.
OpenAI
OpenAI: o3 MiniAuto-discovered from OpenRouter (openai/o3-mini). Preview until a second source matches.
Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs
Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.
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
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
4 pts advantage
26 tok/s faster
$5.60/1M cheaper
Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.
OpenAI: o3 Mini is estimated to save $115.50/month ($1,386/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).
Lower output list price ($4.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (175 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Claude Sonnet 5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | OpenAI: o3 Mini | Higher SWE-bench (78.5%). |
| High-volume chat | OpenAI: o3 Mini | Lower output list price ($4.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Claude Sonnet 5 | Lower TTFT (175 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Sonnet 5 | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Sonnet 5 | Claude Sonnet 5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Usually Sonnet 5 vs Opus 5. Coding delta versus output $/1M. The workhorse question.
Aug 10 2026 made the $2/$10 list permanent. Sonnet is the default Claude unless the repo is actually on fire.
Most of Opus 4.5 coding at a mid-tier price. Sonnet 5 replaced it as the buy; 4.5 remains a compare baseline.
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The real PNG is generated at /compare/claude-sonnet-5-vs-o3-mini/opengraph-image for crawlers.
Verified head-to-head card
