Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Fable 5 by Anthropic wins on 9 of 14 benchmarks against Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic, which leads on 4. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Fable 5 scores 49.7 on AA Intelligence Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 30.5.
Coding: In coding, Claude Fable 5 scores 95.0% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 79.6%, while Claude Fable 5 scores 76.5 on AA Coding Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 63, while Claude Fable 5 scores 1334 on Design Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1274, while Claude Fable 5 scores 1309 on Website Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1297.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Fable 5 scores 83.8% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 54.3%, while Claude Fable 5 scores 51 on AA Agentic Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 33.1, while Claude Fable 5 scores 80.2% on τ²-Bench Airline compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 75.3%.
Context: In context, both score 1.0M on Context Length.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Fable 5 costs $10.0/1M input tokens and $50.0/1M output tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Fable 5 generates output at 60 tok/s compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 57 tok/s, and the time to first token is 81680 ms for Claude Fable 5 versus 790 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.6. Claude Fable 5 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and speed, Claude Fable 5 has the edge. For those who value affordability, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the stronger choice.
View Individual Model Pages
Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Fable 5 wins on more benchmarks overall (9 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Fable 5 compare to Claude Sonnet 4.6 for coding?
Claude Fable 5 is better for coding, scoring 95.0% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 79.6%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Fable 5 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Yes, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is cheaper. Claude Fable 5 costs $10.0/1M input and $50.0/1M output tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Fable 5 is faster, generating output at 60 tok/s compared to 57 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 14 benchmarks including SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, Time to First Token, Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, AA Intelligence Index, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.