Alternatives to Claude Sonnet 5
These models are alternatives by measurable coding evidence: they share the current closed-model classificationand are closest to Claude Sonnet 5's SWE-bench score. Similarity here does not mean identical capabilities, licence terms, or output quality.
The target model
SWE-bench
79.6%
Cheapest input
$2.00
Cheapest output
$10.00
Hosts
10
| Alternative | SWE-bench | Input $/MTok | Output $/MTok | Hosts | Context | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | 79.6% | $0.38 | $1.88 | 4 | — | lower input price |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 78.8% | $0.75 | $4.50 | 4 | — | lower input price |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | 78.8% | $1.00 | $6.00 | 4 | 1.0M | lower input price |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | 78.7% | $5.00 | $25.00 | 10 | 1.0M | higher input price |
| GLM 5.2 | 78.7% | $0.50 | $2.00 | 66 | 203k | lower input price |
| Gemini 3.7 Flash | 80.8% | $0.19 | $0.94 | 4 | — | lower input price |
| gpt-5.4 (<272K context length) | 78.2% | $2.50 | $15.00 | 6 | — | higher input price |
| GPT-5.3-Codex | 78.0% | $1.75 | $14.00 | 4 | 400k | lower input price |
| Muse Spark 1.1 | 82.0% | $1.25 | $4.25 | 2 | 1.0M | lower input price |
| gpt-5.5 (<272K context length) | 82.6% | $5.00 | $30.00 | 6 | — | higher input price |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | 76.4% | $5.00 | $25.00 | 10 | 200k | higher input price |
| gpt-5.2 | 75.8% | $1.75 | $14.00 | 4 | — | lower input price |
How alternatives are selected
Alternatives must have a benchmark score and the same current open/closed classification as the target. They are sorted by score distance, then by price/performance. The table compares hosted API economics; it does not establish licence compatibility or self-hosting rights.
Check the model licence, provider Terms, context limits, tool support, and output quality before switching a production workload.