Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GPT-5.2: Which is Better in 2026?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5.2 are the two most widely used AI assistants right now. Both are genuinely excellent — but they have clear differences that matter depending on what you actually do with them. Here's the honest breakdown.
Last updated: February 2026
Our Pick
GPT-5.2
GPT-5.2 wins on raw capability and versatility. Its 400K context window now beats Claude's 200K, the hallucination rate is down to 6.2%, and the developer ecosystem is unmatched. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is still the better choice for writing and nuanced analysis — it produces cleaner prose and follows style instructions more precisely. But for general-purpose use, GPT-5.2 has pulled ahead.
Try GPT-5.2At a glance
| Feature | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | GPT-5.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 8.0 / 10 | 8.3 / 10 |
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Context window | 200K tokens | 400K tokens |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $3 | $1.75 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $15 | $14 |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
Use case breakdown
Claude still produces the most natural prose and is the most precise at following style and tone instructions.
GPT-5.2 has the largest dev ecosystem, the best IDE integrations, and perfect AIME benchmark scores.
GPT-5.2's 400K context now edges Claude's 200K. For the longest files, Gemini 3 Pro (1M tokens) is better than both.
GPT-5.2 scored 100% on AIME 2025. Claude is strong but trails on pure mathematical reasoning.
Claude is more precise at format, tone, and constraint adherence. Noticeably better on complex multi-rule prompts.
GPT-5.2 at $1.75/1M input is cheaper than Claude's $3/1M at standard tier.
FAQ
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 better than GPT-5.2 in 2026?
For writing and nuanced instruction-following, yes — Claude Sonnet 4.6 still produces cleaner output. For general versatility, coding, and raw capability, GPT-5.2 has pulled ahead with its 400K context window and lower hallucination rate.
Which is cheaper — Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5.2?
GPT-5.2 is cheaper at standard tier: $1.75/1M input tokens vs Claude Sonnet 4.6's $3/1M. Both have free tiers. For heavy API use, GPT-5.2 is the better deal.
Can I use Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-5.2 for free?
Yes. Both Claude.ai and ChatGPT offer free plans with rate limits. Paid plans (both around $20/month) give higher limits and access to the best model versions.
Which has a bigger context window?
GPT-5.2 now leads with 400K tokens vs Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200K. If you need even more, Gemini 3 Pro (1M tokens) or Llama 4 Scout (10M tokens) are worth looking at.