Claude Sonnet 5 vs Grok 4.5
Claude Sonnet 5 is no longer on the leaderboard. Grok 4.5 was superseded by Grok 4.7.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.
Grok 4.5 leads overall, C- to D. Claude Sonnet 5 is about 1.3x cheaper per task. By suite, Grok 4.5 takes real-world issues (C- to D+) and vibe coding (C- to F). Take Claude Sonnet 5 anyway when you want the side that is cheaper per task.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
Grok 4.5 leads overall, C- to D. By suite: Grok 4.5 takes real-world issues, C- to D+ (60% vs 53% capability); Grok 4.5 takes vibe coding, C- to F (59% vs 31% capability). Only Claude Sonnet 5 has run spec planning. Claude Sonnet 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 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 is about 1.3x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.032). Grok 4.5 is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 3m 9s against 3m 35s. Both finished every task on it. Reasons to pick Claude Sonnet 5 anyway: it is cheaper per task ($0.024 vs $0.032).
Changed since the previous graded week: Claude Sonnet 5: vibe coding D+ to F; Grok 4.5: real-world issues usage 8.0% to 6.9% of the weekly limit.
| Dimension | Claude Sonnet 5 | Grok 4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 53% | 60% | +7% (Grok 4.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 3m 35s | 3m 9s | 26s faster (Grok 4.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.015 / task | $0.032 / task | $0.016 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5 leads) |
Claude Sonnet 5: 12.0% of Claude Max 5x (12.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) 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 has run this suite, so there is no head-to-head yet.
| Dimension | Claude Sonnet 5 | Grok 4.5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 31% | 59% | +28% (Grok 4.5 leads) |
| Median task time | 4m 31s | 3m 40s | 51s faster (Grok 4.5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.007 / task | $0.031 / task | $0.024 / task lower (Claude Sonnet 5 leads) |
Claude Sonnet 5: 1.0% of Claude Max 5x (1.0% / 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 or Grok 4.5?
Grok 4.5 clears higher: tier 4 of 5 versus tier 3 for Claude Sonnet 5 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 or Grok 4.5?
Claude Sonnet 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 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 is about 1.3x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.032).
What do Claude Sonnet 5 and Grok 4.5 cost a month?
Claude Sonnet 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).