workhorse
Gpt 4.1 vs Claude Sonnet 4 5
Side-by-side pricing, context window, features, and per-use-case verdict. Data sourced from LiteLLM, updated regularly.
Specifications
| Feature | Gpt 4.1 | Claude Sonnet 4 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | openai | anthropic |
| Model ID | gpt-4.1 | claude-sonnet-4-5 |
| Input / 1M tokens | $2.00 (33% cheaper) | $3.00 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $8.00 (47% cheaper) | $15.00 |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.50 | $0.30 |
| Context window | 1048kk tokens | 200kk tokens |
| Max output | 33kk tokens | 64kk tokens |
| Vision | ✅ | ✅ |
| Function calling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Prompt caching | ✅ | ✅ |
| Web search | ✅ | ⬜ |
| JSON schema | ✅ | ✅ |
Monthly cost comparison
No cache discount applied — pure token costs at three usage scales.
| Scale | Gpt 4.1 | Claude Sonnet 4 5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small 1M in / 0.2M out | $3.60 | $6.00 | Gpt 4.1 saves 40% |
| Medium 10M in / 2M out | $36.00 | $60.00 | Gpt 4.1 saves 40% |
| Large 100M in / 20M out | $360 | $600 | Gpt 4.1 saves 40% |
Category winners
Cheapest input
Gpt 4.1
$2.00/M
· 33% less than the other
Cheapest output
Gpt 4.1
$8.00/M
· 47% less than the other
Larger context
Gpt 4.1
1048kk tokens · 424% larger window
More features
Gpt 4.1
5 / 5 capabilities
Better for…
High-volume RAG & repeated context
$0.30/M cached input — prompt caching makes repeated context retrieval significantly cheaper
Claude Sonnet 4 5
Short interactions & high-throughput APIs
$8.00/M output — 47% cheaper on output at scale
Gpt 4.1
Long-document processing & large codebases
1048k context window vs 200k — 424% larger context
Gpt 4.1
Agentic workflows & tool use
Supports 5 of 5 tracked capabilities (vision, function calling, caching, web search, JSON schema)
Gpt 4.1
Deep-dive on each model
Pricing data sourced from LiteLLM and refreshed regularly. Always verify with each provider's official pricing page before making business decisions.