Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, OpenAI o3-mini delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,560 vs 1,455), while OpenAI o3-mini leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (78.5%), while OpenAI o3-mini is more budget-friendly at $4.4/1M 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.
8 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
First Sonnet 4 generation. Bridge between 3.5/3.7 and Sonnet 5.
OpenAI cost-efficient reasoning model with adjustable thinking effort and top coding benchmark scores.
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 105 Arena Elo pts
92 tok/s
$4.4 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill 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 Sonnet 4 | OpenAI o3-mini | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +105 | ||
| Coding Elo | +117 | ||
| LiveBench | +9.2% | ||
| SWE-bench | +15.7% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +10.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +70 ms | ||
| Output speed | 92 tok/s | 92 tok/s | — |
| Input price | $1.1/1M | +$1.9/1M | |
| Output price | $4.4/1M | +$10.6/1M | |
| Context window | — |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
OpenAI o3-mini is estimated to save $225.50/month ($2,706/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).
Lower output list price ($4.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (220 ms).
Larger window (200k).
Claude Sonnet 4 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 4 | Lower TTFT (220 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Sonnet 4 | Larger window (200k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Sonnet 4 | Claude Sonnet 4 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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