claude-sonnet-5 vs grok-4.5
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.
| Dimension | claude-sonnet-5 | grok-4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 50% | 60% | +10% (grok-4.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 4m 22s | 3m 9s | 1m 12s faster (grok-4.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.005 / task | $0.032 / task | $0.026 / task lower (claude-sonnet-5 leads) |
claude-sonnet-5: 6.0% of Claude Max 20x (6.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. 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 has run this suite, so there is no head-to-head yet.
| Dimension | claude-sonnet-5 | grok-4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 34% | 59% | +25% (grok-4.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 5m 17s | 3m 40s | 1m 37s faster (grok-4.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.008 / task | $0.031 / task | $0.022 / task lower (claude-sonnet-5 leads) |
claude-sonnet-5: 0.6% of Claude Max 20x (0.6% / 5h) per good solve. 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 or grok-4.5?
grok-4.5 clears higher: tier 4 of 5 versus tier 2 for claude-sonnet-5 on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-08-18.
How much do claude-sonnet-5 and grok-4.5 cost?
claude-sonnet-5 runs on Claude Max 20x at $200/month (public price as of 2026-08-05). grok-4.5 runs on SuperGrok at $30/month (public price as of 2026-07-20).