Model comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs GPT-4.1 nano
Head-to-head evidence from 3 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Claude Sonnet 4.5 #98 (Estimated); GPT-4.1 nano #170 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Claude Sonnet 4.5 and GPT-4.1 nano share 3 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 9 results are unique to Claude Sonnet 4.5; 18 to GPT-4.1 nano.
Updated July 24, 2026- Shared results
- 3
- Claude Sonnet 4.5 only
- 9
- GPT-4.1 nano only
- 18
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.5 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 nano only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you need the larger 1M context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 3 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
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 52.89 to 41.14. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Claude Sonnet 4.5's sharpest advantage is in knowledge, where it averages 83.4 against 50.3. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 83.4% to 50.3%.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $3.00 input / $15.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.10 input / $0.40 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 nano. That is roughly 37.5x on output cost alone. GPT-4.1 nano gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 200K for Claude Sonnet 4.5.
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 | GPT-4.1 nano |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Claude Sonnet 4.583.4 | Margin← 33.1 | GPT-4.1 nano50.3 |
| Math | Claude Sonnet 4.511.2 | Margin← 10.2 | GPT-4.1 nano1.0 |
| Agentic | Claude Sonnet 4.555.4 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 nanoNot measured |
| Coding | Claude Sonnet 4.577.2 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 nanoNot measured |
| Reasoning | Claude Sonnet 4.513.6 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 nanoNot measured |
| Inst. Following | Claude Sonnet 4.5Not measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 nano83.2 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 83.4%B 50.3%Winner: Claude Sonnet 4.5Δ 33.1GPQA: Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored 83.4%; GPT-4.1 nano scored 50.3%. Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 13.495%B 1.034%Winner: Claude Sonnet 4.5Δ 12.5FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): Claude Sonnet 4.5 scored 13.495%; GPT-4.1 nano scored 1.034%. 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 | GPT-4.1 nano | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Claude Sonnet 4.5$3 input / $15 output | GPT-4.1 nano$0.1 input / $0.4 output | GPT-4.1 nano has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Claude Sonnet 4.5Not available | GPT-4.1 nano181 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Claude Sonnet 4.5Not available | GPT-4.1 nano0.63 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Claude Sonnet 4.5200K | GPT-4.1 nano1M | GPT-4.1 nano lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-4.1 nano | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 50% | — | Not comparable |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | 61.4% | — | Not comparable |
| VITA-BenchSource | 17.0% | — | Not comparable |
| Gert LabsSource | 48.51% | — | Not comparable |
| JobBenchSource | 27.7% | — | Not comparable |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | — | 1.2% | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | — | 17.3% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 0.0% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 63 | Not comparable |
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
KnowledgeClaude Sonnet 4.5 wins8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-4.1 nano | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 83.4% | 50.3% | Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads |
| MMLUSource | — | 80.1% | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | — | 9.6% | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | — | 51.2% | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | — | 3.9% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | — | -56.4% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | — | 13.3% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | — | 80.4% | Not comparable |
MathClaude Sonnet 4.5 wins3 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-4.1 nano?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 52.89 to 41.14. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 83.4% and 50.3%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-4.1 nano?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 83.4 versus 50.3. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-4.1 nano?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 11.2 versus 1. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.