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GPT-5.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5
GPT-5.6 scores higher than Claude Sonnet 5 on all 3 public leaderboards that rate both. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, GPT-5.6 is at 48.1 and Claude Sonnet 5 at 24.5 (out of 100). On each maker's API, GPT-5.6 costs $4 / $20 per 1M tokens (input / output) and Claude Sonnet 5 $2 / $10.
Scores as published by each board; table composed November 10, 2026.
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Leaderboard by leaderboard
| Board | GPT-5.6 | Claude Sonnet 5 | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Elo (community votes) | 1,615.3 | 1,539.2 | GPT-5.6 |
| SimpleBench AVG@5 % (private set) | 71.7 | 60.6 | GPT-5.6 |
| Epoch AI Epoch Capabilities Index (ECI) · many benchmarks on one scale | 163 | 156.7 | GPT-5.6 |
Raw scores are each board's own scale, so compare within a row, not across rows. Full table: the bench index.
For coding
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, GPT-5.6 is at 57.1 (#18 of 47) and Claude Sonnet 5 at 42.5 (#23). GPT-5.6 scores higher on 1 of the 2 coding boards that rate both and Claude Sonnet 5 on 1.
| Coding board | GPT-5.6 | Claude Sonnet 5 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena · Coding | 1,495.2 | 1,483.2 |
| Vals Vibe Code Bench | 80.5 | 81.3 |
GPT-5.6 at a glance
- Developer
- OpenAI
- Status
- Live since July 9, 2026
- API price
- $4 input / $20 output per 1M tokens · OpenAI, gpt-5.6
- Context window
- 1.05M tokens
Live — Sol · Terra · Luna since Jul 9 · repriced Jul 30: Luna −80%, Terra −20%.
OpenAI Daybreak, explained: Blue vs Red access, GPT-5.6-Cyber, the $1B defender fund, and Sophos's 89-second cases
2026-10-12 · OpenAI Daybreak is OpenAI's program for putting its most cyber-capable models in the hands of approved defenders. On October 9 OpenAI published its first big customer result: Sophos says agents it built on Daybreak cut its average response time on those cases from about 38 minutes to about 89 seconds.
Three ChatGPT leaks in five hours were one release note — and the line none of them quoted is the real change
2026-08-06 · Three separate leaks landed in five hours claiming three separate ChatGPT changes: an upgraded GPT-5.6 Sol for Plus and Pro, a new reasoning slider rolling out, and unlimited chats coming for free users. All three are real.
Claude Sonnet 5 at a glance
- Developer
- Anthropic
- Status
- Live since June 30, 2026
- API price
- $2 input / $10 output per 1M tokens · Anthropic, claude-sonnet-5
- Context window
- 1M tokens
Shipped Jun 30.
GPT-5.6 vs Claude Sonnet 5: quick answers
Which is better, GPT-5.6 or Claude Sonnet 5?
It depends on what you measure. GPT-5.6 scores higher than Claude Sonnet 5 on all 3 public leaderboards that rate both. GPT-5.6's widest lead is on Epoch AI. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, GPT-5.6 is at 48.1 and Claude Sonnet 5 at 24.5 (out of 100).
Which is newer, GPT-5.6 or Claude Sonnet 5?
GPT-5.6. It went live on July 9, 2026, 9 days after Claude Sonnet 5 (June 30, 2026).
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.6 or Claude Sonnet 5?
Claude Sonnet 5 is cheaper on both input and output. On each vendor's own API, GPT-5.6 is $4 input / $20 output per million tokens and Claude Sonnet 5 is $2 input / $10 output per million tokens. GPT-5.6's rate rises for prompts over 272K tokens. Prices as published in the models.dev catalog, as of 2026-11-10.
Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5.6 or Claude Sonnet 5?
GPT-5.6, at 1.05M tokens against Claude Sonnet 5's 1M, as each vendor lists it.
How do GPT-5.6 and Claude Sonnet 5 compare for coding?
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, GPT-5.6 is at 57.1 (#18 of 47) and Claude Sonnet 5 at 42.5 (#23). GPT-5.6 scores higher on 1 of the 2 coding boards that rate both and Claude Sonnet 5 on 1.
Who makes GPT-5.6 and Claude Sonnet 5?
GPT-5.6 is from OpenAI; Claude Sonnet 5 is from Anthropic.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each score is the leaderboard's own published figure, read by ArtificialWatch (table composed November 10, 2026). Boards measure different things, so raw scores are only comparable within a row.
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