Head-to-head comparison across 2benchmark categories. Overall scores shown here use BenchLM's provisional ranking lane.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
42
Claude Sonnet 4.6
85
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Claude 3.5 Sonnet only becomes the better choice if its workflow or ecosystem matters more than the raw scoreboard.
Coding
+17.4 difference
Knowledge
+14.3 difference
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Claude Sonnet 4.6
$null / $null
$3 / $15
N/A
44 t/s
N/A
1.48s
200K
200K
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Claude 3.5 Sonnet only becomes the better choice if its workflow or ecosystem matters more than the raw scoreboard.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 85 to 42. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Claude Sonnet 4.6's sharpest advantage is in coding, where it averages 66.4 against 49. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 49% to 79.6%.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 85 to 42. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 49% and 79.6%.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 73.7 versus 59.4. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 66.4 versus 49. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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