Head to head
Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs GPT-6.1 Sol
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5.5 or GPT-6.1 Sol?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 finishes ahead of GPT-6.1 Sol on the index, 91.5 to 90.3, and leads on all four scores: craft, speed, control and value. Both are scored on the same rubric, in the same week, and neither placing is sponsored.
Updated
Claude Sonnet 5.5
02 of 73
91.5
Nearly the strongest model in the index, at a mid-range price. Sonnet stopped being the compromise.
GPT-6.1 Sol
04 of 73
90.3
Near-Astra answers at a fifth of the price. The OpenAI model most teams should deploy now.
The four scores, side by side
| Score | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | GPT-6.1 Sol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craft | 93 | 92 | +1 |
| Speed | 88 | 82 | +6 |
| Control | 90 | 91 | +1 |
| Value | 90 | 89 | +1 |
| Index score | 91.5 | 90.3 | +1.2 |
Which to pick
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is the safer pick on every axis we score. GPT-6.1 Sol earns its place in the index, but nothing in these four numbers argues for it over Claude Sonnet 5.5.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
Sonnet 5.5 is the surprise of the autumn releases. It costs the same as Sonnet 5 and scores second only to Opus 5.5 on the Artificial Analysis index, ahead of every OpenAI and Google model. Human voters rate it lower than its benchmarks suggest, which is why it sits below Opus on craft here. For coding agents, editor integrations and anything that runs all day, it is the best value at the top of the field.
Where it shines
- Second-highest Artificial Analysis score in the index, at a fifth of the Fable price
- Top-tier terminal and computer-use results
- Cheaper cached input since October, which helps long agent loops
GPT-6.1 Sol
GPT-6.1 Sol launched at DevDay a week after GPT-6 Sol and replaces it at the same price. OpenAI describes it as near-Astra performance at a lower cost, and the leaderboards bear that out: it scores just below Astra on the Artificial Analysis index and well above it with human voters. At two dollars in and ten out, it is priced head to head with Claude Sonnet 5.5, and it is the default choice inside the OpenAI ecosystem.
Where it shines
- Close to Astra on benchmarks for a fifth of the price
- Preferred over Astra by human voters
- Every framework and agent toolkit supports it from day one