Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic wins on 12 of 22 benchmarks against Gemini 2.5 Pro by Google, which leads on 7. 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, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 1465 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1395, while both score 84.0% on MMLU-Pro, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 89.0% on IFEval compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 88.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 30.5 on AA Intelligence Index compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 16.7.
Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 91.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 89.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 63.8%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 65.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 58.0%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 63 on AA Coding Index compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 33.3, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1274 on Design Arena ELO compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 1164, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1297 on Website Arena ELO compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 1179.
Math: In math, both score 88.0% on MATH, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 96.0% on GSM8K compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 95.5%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 79.9% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 54.3%, while both score 48.0% on ARC-AGI, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 33.1 on AA Agentic Index compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 3.5, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 75.3% on τ²-Bench Airline compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 61.3%.
Context: In context, Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1.0M.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output. Gemini 2.5 Pro is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates output at 57 tok/s compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro's 55 tok/s, and the time to first token is 790 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.6 versus 500 ms for Gemini 2.5 Pro. Claude Sonnet 4.6 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and speed, Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge. For those who value general intelligence and affordability, Gemini 2.5 Pro is the stronger choice.
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Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemini 2.5 Pro?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 wins on more benchmarks overall (12 vs 7). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to Gemini 2.5 Pro for coding?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is better for coding, scoring 79.6% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 63.8%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than Gemini 2.5 Pro?
Yes, Gemini 2.5 Pro is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. Gemini 2.5 Pro costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemini 2.5 Pro?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is faster, generating output at 57 tok/s compared to 55 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro comparison cover?
This comparison covers 22 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, IFEval, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.