Electricity Bench

Claude Sonnet 5 vs GPT-6 Sol

GPT-6 Sol leads overall, D+ to D. The two cost about the same per task. By suite, Claude Sonnet 5 takes real-world issues (D+ to D-) and GPT-6 Sol takes spec planning (C to D). Take Claude Sonnet 5 anyway when you want the side that is ahead on real-world issues.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: GPT-6 Sol vs Claude Sonnet 5

GPT-6 Sol leads overall, D+ to D. By suite: Claude Sonnet 5 takes real-world issues, D+ to D- (50% vs 38% capability); GPT-6 Sol takes spec planning, C to D (64% vs 42% capability); vibe coding is even at D+ (51% vs 51% capability). Claude Sonnet 5 used 1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price. GPT-6 Sol used 5% of ChatGPT Plus's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price; at the ~$100 tier the board defaults to that is an estimated ~1% of ChatGPT Pro 5x's weekly limit (est, about $0.012 per task). Per task the two cost about the same ($0.012 vs $0.012). GPT-6 Sol is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 2m 44s against 2m 55s. Both finished every task on it. Reasons to pick Claude Sonnet 5 anyway: it leads on real-world issues (D+ to D-).

Changed since W32: Claude Sonnet 5: real-world issues F to D+.

Claude Sonnet 5Clears tier 2 (partial tier 5) at 16.0% of Claude Max 5x per runDOVERALLGPT-6 SolClears tier 1 (partial tier 5) at 4.0% of ChatGPT Plus per runD+OVERALL
real-world@v3D+vsD-
DimensionClaude Sonnet 5GPT-6 SolAdvantage
Capability50%38%+12% (Claude Sonnet 5 leads)
Median task time2m 55s2m 44s10s faster (GPT-6 Sol leads)
Approx. task cost$0.015 / task$0.012 / task$0.003 / task lower (GPT-6 Sol leads)

Claude Sonnet 5: 16.0% of Claude Max 5x (16.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. GPT-6 Sol: 4.0% of ChatGPT Plus (37.0% / 5h, 4.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.

spec-planning@v1DvsC
DimensionClaude Sonnet 5GPT-6 SolAdvantage
Capability42%64%+22% (GPT-6 Sol leads)
Median task time4m 20s2m 23s1m 57s faster (GPT-6 Sol leads)
Approx. task cost$0.010 / task$0.011 / task$0.001 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5 leads)

Claude Sonnet 5: 6.0% of Claude Max 5x (6.0% / 5h) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. GPT-6 Sol: 1.0% of ChatGPT Plus (8.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.

vibe-coding@v1D+vsD+
DimensionClaude Sonnet 5GPT-6 SolAdvantage
Capability51%51%Even
Median task time4m 26s3m 4s1m 22s faster (GPT-6 Sol leads)
Approx. task cost$0.016 / task$0.018 / task$0.002 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5 leads)

Claude Sonnet 5: 2.4% of Claude Max 5x (2.4% / 5h) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 14.6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. GPT-6 Sol: 0.4% of ChatGPT Plus (2.4% / 5h, 0.4% / 1w) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. 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 or GPT-6 Sol?

Claude Sonnet 5 clears higher: tier 2 of 5 versus tier 1 for GPT-6 Sol on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-09-21.

Which is cheaper per task, Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-6 Sol?

Claude Sonnet 5 used 1% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price. GPT-6 Sol used 5% of ChatGPT Plus's weekly limit per pass, $0.012 per task at the listed price; at the ~$100 tier the board defaults to that is an estimated ~1% of ChatGPT Pro 5x's weekly limit (est, about $0.012 per task). Per task the two cost about the same ($0.012 vs $0.012).

What do Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-6 Sol cost a month?

Claude Sonnet 5 runs on Claude Max 5x at $100/month (public price as of 2026-07-20). GPT-6 Sol runs on ChatGPT Plus at $20/month (public price as of 2026-07-20).