Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, GPT-5 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,558 vs 1,280), while GPT-5 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (68.4%), while GPT-5 is more budget-friendly at $10/1M per 1M output tokens, while Claude 3.5 Sonnet provides faster response streaming (80 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
2024 workhorse. Still a high-intent compare against GPT-4o.
OpenAI flagship reasoning model for 2025–26. Strong general preference Elo and multimodal coverage.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 278 Arena Elo pts
80 tok/s
$10 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
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 | GPT-5 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | GPT-5 (+278) | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | GPT-5 (+17.7%) | ||
| SWE-bench | GPT-5 (+19.4%) | ||
| GPQA Diamond | GPT-5 (+20.2%) | ||
| Time to first token | Claude 3.5 Sonnet (+10 ms) | ||
| Output speed | 80 tok/s | 78 tok/s | Claude 3.5 Sonnet (+2 tok/s) |
| Input price | $1.25/1M | GPT-5 (+$1.75/1M) | |
| Output price | GPT-5 (+$5/1M) | ||
| Context window | GPT-5 (+200k) |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
GPT-5 is estimated to save $136.25/month ($1,635/year).
Higher SWE-bench (68.4%).
Lower output list price ($10/1M).
Lower TTFT (280 ms).
Larger window (400k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (GPT-5).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | GPT-5 | Higher SWE-bench (68.4%). |
| High-volume chat | GPT-5 | Lower output list price ($10/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Lower TTFT (280 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | GPT-5 | Larger window (400k). |
| Screenshots / vision | GPT-5 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (GPT-5). |
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The real PNG is generated at /compare/claude-3-5-sonnet-vs-gpt-5/opengraph-image for crawlers.
Verified head-to-head card
