Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Grok 4.5
Grok 4.5 was superseded by Grok 4.7. The grades below are the last ones measured, so read them as history rather than as this week's board. See the current roster.
Both grade C- overall. Claude Sonnet 5.5 is about 11x cheaper per task. By suite, real-world issues is even at C- and Grok 4.5 takes vibe coding (C- to D+). Both agents run the same private suite cut headless through their own tools, each on its own subscription.Measured
Each agent graded on the same private suites, running headless through its own tools. Advantages are oriented so a win is a win, whichever way the metric runs.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5
Both grade C- overall. By suite: real-world issues is even at C- (60% vs 60% capability); Grok 4.5 takes vibe coding, C- to D+ (59% vs 48% capability). Only Claude Sonnet 5.5 has run spec planning. Claude Sonnet 5.5 used <1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.003 per task at the listed price. Grok 4.5 used 6.9% of SuperGrok's weekly limit per pass, $0.032 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is about 11x cheaper ($0.003 vs $0.032). Claude Sonnet 5.5 is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 37s against 3m 9s. Both finished every task on it.
Changed since W32: Grok 4.5: real-world issues usage 8.0% to 6.9% of the weekly limit.
| Dimension | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Grok 4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 60% | 60% | Even |
| Median task time | 37s | 3m 9s | 2m 32s faster (Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.002 / task | $0.032 / task | $0.030 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads) |
Claude Sonnet 5.5: 4.0% of Claude Max 5x (4.0% / 5h) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 13.8 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Grok 4.5: 6.9% of SuperGrok (6.9% / 1w) per run. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Only Claude Sonnet 5.5 has run this suite, so there is no head-to-head yet.
| Dimension | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Grok 4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 48% | 59% | +10% (Grok 4.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 56s | 3m 40s | 2m 43s faster (Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.001 / task | $0.031 / task | $0.029 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5.5 leads) |
Claude Sonnet 5.5: 0.2% of Claude Max 5x (0.2% / 5h) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 13.8 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Grok 4.5: 0.4% of SuperGrok (0.4% / 1w) per good solve. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Grades and deltas are comparable only within a suite version. See methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for coding, Claude Sonnet 5.5 or Grok 4.5?
They are even on our ladder: both clear tier 4 of 5 at 60% capability on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-09-28.
Which is cheaper per task, Claude Sonnet 5.5 or Grok 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 used <1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.003 per task at the listed price. Grok 4.5 used 6.9% of SuperGrok's weekly limit per pass, $0.032 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is about 11x cheaper ($0.003 vs $0.032).
What do Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Grok 4.5 cost a month?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 runs on Claude Max 5x at $100/month (public price as of 2026-07-20). Grok 4.5 runs on SuperGrok at $30/month (public price as of 2026-07-20).