Model comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs DeepSeek V3.2
Head-to-head evidence from 5 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Claude Sonnet 4.5 #96 (Estimated); DeepSeek V3.2 #82 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Claude Sonnet 4.5 and DeepSeek V3.2 share 5 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 7 results are unique to Claude Sonnet 4.5; 14 to DeepSeek V3.2.
Updated July 22, 2026- Shared results
- 5
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 only
- 7
- DeepSeek V3.2 only
- 14
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick DeepSeek V3.2 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Claude Sonnet 4.5 only becomes the better choice if coding is the priority or you need the larger 200K context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 5 shared benchmark results across 3 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
DeepSeek V3.2 has the cleaner BenchAlign overall profile here, landing at 55.4 versus 53.61. It is a real lead, but still close enough that category-level strengths matter more than the headline number.
DeepSeek V3.2's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 17.1 against 11.2. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 13.495% to 22.100%. Claude Sonnet 4.5 does hit back in coding, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $3.00 input / $15.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.28 input / $0.42 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V3.2. That is roughly 35.7x on output cost alone. Claude Sonnet 4.5 gives you the larger context window at 200K, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.2.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Δ | DeepSeek V3.2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | Claude Sonnet 4.577.2 | Margin← 16.3 | DeepSeek V3.260.9 |
| Math | Claude Sonnet 4.511.2 | Margin→ 5.9 | DeepSeek V3.217.1 |
| Agentic | Claude Sonnet 4.555.4 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V3.2Not measured |
| Reasoning | Claude Sonnet 4.513.6 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V3.2Not measured |
| Knowledge | Claude Sonnet 4.583.4 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V3.2Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 13.495%B 22.100%Winner: DeepSeek V3.2Δ 8.6FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored 13.495%; DeepSeek V3.2 scored 22.100%. DeepSeek V3.2 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)
MathA 4.167%B 2.100%Winner: Claude Sonnet 4.5Δ 2.1FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4): Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored 4.167%; DeepSeek V3.2 scored 2.100%. Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | DeepSeek V3.2 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Claude Sonnet 4.5$3 input / $15 output | DeepSeek V3.2$0.28 input / $0.42 output | DeepSeek V3.2 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Claude Sonnet 4.5Not available | DeepSeek V3.235 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Claude Sonnet 4.5Not available | DeepSeek V3.23.75 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Claude Sonnet 4.5200K | DeepSeek V3.2128K | Claude Sonnet 4.5 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | DeepSeek V3.2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 50% | — | Not comparable |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | 61.4% | — | Not comparable |
| VITA-BenchSource | 17.0% | 18.5% | DeepSeek V3.2 leads |
| Gert LabsSource | 48.51% | 29.57% | Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads |
| JobBenchSource | 27.7% | — | Not comparable |
| Claw-EvalSource | — | 40.2% | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | — | 78.9% | Not comparable |
CodingClaude Sonnet 4.5 wins4 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
Knowledge7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | DeepSeek V3.2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 83.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | — | 24.7% | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | — | 75.1% | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | — | 10.5% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | — | -46.7% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | — | 24.2% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | — | 93.5% | Not comparable |
MathDeepSeek V3.2 wins3 benchmarks
Multimodal1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | DeepSeek V3.2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1219 | 1204 | Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads |
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | DeepSeek V3.2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | — | 49.0% | Not comparable |
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or DeepSeek V3.2?
DeepSeek V3.2 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 55.4 to 53.61. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 13.495% and 22.100%.
Which is better for coding, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or DeepSeek V3.2?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 77.2 versus 60.9. DeepSeek V3.2 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Which is better for math, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or DeepSeek V3.2?
DeepSeek V3.2 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 17.1 versus 11.2. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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