Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Claude Sonnet 5 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,556 vs 1,240), while Claude Sonnet 5 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (73.8%), while Llama 3.1 70B is more budget-friendly at $0.4/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Anthropic workhorse. Official $2/$10 per 1M tokens made permanent on Aug 10 2026.
Llama 3.1 70B instruct. Predecessor to 3.3 70B and Llama 4.
Currently comparing Claude Sonnet 5 vs Llama 3.1 70B. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 316 Arena Elo pts
125 tok/s
$0.4 / 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 5 | Llama 3.1 70B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +316 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +23.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +33.6% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +34.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +5 ms | ||
| Output speed | 118 tok/s | 125 tok/s | +7 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.35/1M | +$1.65/1M | |
| Output price | $0.4/1M | +$9.6/1M | |
| Context window | +872k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Llama 3.1 70B is estimated to save $201.75/month ($2,421/year).
Higher SWE-bench (73.8%).
Lower output list price ($0.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (170 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Claude Sonnet 5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Sonnet 5 | Higher SWE-bench (73.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Llama 3.1 70B | Lower output list price ($0.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Llama 3.1 70B | Lower TTFT (170 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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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
