AI model comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Grok 4.5

Compare pricing, context limits, supported inputs and deployment options to choose a model for your workflow.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 from Anthropic lists 1M context, 64K maximum output, $3.00 input per 1M tokens, $15.00 output per 1M tokens. Grok 4.5 from xAI lists 500K context, 500K maximum output, $2.00 input per 1M tokens, $6.00 output per 1M tokens. Compare the inputs, outputs and deployment options below to see which fits your workflow.

Side-by-sideCapabilities and practical differences

Anthropic

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Claude Sonnet 4.6 from Anthropic: Claude workhorse for coding agents, careful analysis, and production cost control.

Context
1M
Max output
64K
Input / 1M tokens
$3.00
Output / 1M tokens
$15.00

Accepts

  • Text input
  • Image input
  • PDF input

Produces

  • Text output
VS

xAI

Grok 4.5

Grok 4.5 from xAI: xAI's Grok model for chat, coding, agentic tools, and lower hallucination risk.

Context
500K
Max output
500K
Input / 1M tokens
$2.00
Output / 1M tokens
$6.00

Accepts

  • Text input
  • Image input

Produces

  • Text output

At a glance

Key differences

Compare the available figures below, then try both models on the work you need to do.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

  • Context capacity: 1M

Grok 4.5

  • Maximum output: 500K
  • Input price: $2.00
  • Output price: $6.00

Context capacity

Higher listed limit

Claude Sonnet 4.6:1M

Grok 4.5:500K

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Maximum output

Higher listed limit

Claude Sonnet 4.6:64K

Grok 4.5:500K

Grok 4.5

Input price

Lower listed token rate

Claude Sonnet 4.6:$3.00

Grok 4.5:$2.00

Grok 4.5

Output price

Lower listed token rate

Claude Sonnet 4.6:$15.00

Grok 4.5:$6.00

Grok 4.5

Specifications

Pricing, limits and capabilities

Specifications for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Grok 4.5. Higher limits and lower prices describe these figures only.
SpecificationClaude Sonnet 4.6Grok 4.5
ProviderAnthropicxAI
Listed pricing routeAnthropicxAI
Model familyclaude-sonnetgrok
Accepted inputstext, image, pdftext, image
Produced outputstexttext
Context window1MHigher500K
Max output64K500KHigher
Input price / 1M$3.00$2.00Lower
Output price / 1M$15.00$6.00Lower
Reasoning modeDocumentedDocumented
Tool callingDocumentedDocumented
Image inputDocumentedDocumented
Audio inputNot documentedNot documented
Structured outputNot documentedDocumented
LicenseProprietaryProprietary

Workload guidance

Which model should you choose?

Consider Claude Sonnet 4.6 if you need larger context. Consider Grok 4.5 if you need larger maximum output or a lower listed input rate or a lower listed output rate. Test both on the same representative examples and judge the output against your acceptance criteria. Include tool failures, retries and the time to a completed task.

Documentation and model profiles

Explore each model’s features, API requirements and licence terms in the sources below.

Questions people ask

It brings together documented inputs and outputs, token limits, deployment terms and available pricing. When both models have source-linked, verified results on a shared benchmark, those results are shown with their individual sources. The comparison is a starting point for evaluating your own workload.

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