Claude Opus 4.6 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)
Claude Opus 4.6 (Anthropic) and Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 Claude Opus 4.6 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥850 | ¥554.4 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥4,200 | ¥2,772 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥2,950 | ¥1,940 |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Release date | 2/4/2026 | 2/17/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image | text, image |
| Arena · overall | #5 · ELO 1,497 | #32 · ELO 1,472 |
| Arena · Japanese | #16 · ELO 1,482 | #41 · ELO 1,438 |
| Arena · coding | #5 · ELO 1,546 | #14 · ELO 1,528 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Claude Sonnet 4.6: ¥2,772 per 1M output tokens, 34% less than Claude Opus 4.6.
- On the Overall arena board, Claude Opus 4.6 ranks higher (#5; Claude Sonnet 4.6 is #32).
- On the Japanese arena board, Claude Opus 4.6 ranks higher (#16; Claude Sonnet 4.6 is #41).
- On the Coding arena board, Claude Opus 4.6 ranks higher (#5; Claude Sonnet 4.6 is #14).
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Claude Opus 4.6
I need to count the number of 'r's in the word 'strawberry'. Let me go through it letter by letter.
**s** - not an r
**t** - not an r
**r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 1)
**a** - not an r
**w** - not an r
**b** - not an r
**e** - not an r
**r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 2)
**r** - this is an r ✓ (count: 3)
**y** - not an r
There are **3** r's in 'strawberry'.
3.2s158 output tokens
Claude Sonnet 4.6
## Counting the letter 'r' in 'strawberry'
Let me go through the word letter by letter:
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | s | No |
| 2 | t | No |
| 3 | r | ✅ Yes |
| 4 | a | No |
| 5 | w | No |
| 6 | b | No |
| 7 | e | No |
| 8 | r | ✅ Yes |
| 9 | r | ✅ Yes |
| 10 | y | No |
## Result
There are **3 r's** in 'strawberry'.
2.2s181 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Claude Opus 4.6
# Understanding the Error
The error `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that **`users` is `undefined`** when the component renders. You're trying to call `.map()` on a value that doesn't exist yet.
This typically happens when:
- The parent component doesn't pass the `users` prop
- The data is being fetched asynchronously and hasn't loaded yet
- The prop name is misspelled
## Solutions
### 1. Add a Default Parameter Value (Simplest Fix)
```javascript
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
### 2. Add a Guard with Optional Chaining
```javascript
function UserList({…
10.5s599 output tokens
Claude Sonnet 4.6
## Problem Analysis
The error occurs because `users` is `undefined` when the component renders. You're calling `.map()` on `undefined`, which throws a `TypeError`.
**Common causes:**
- The prop isn't passed by the parent component
- Data is still loading asynchronously when the component first renders
- The parent passes `undefined` or a misspelled prop name
---
## Solutions
### Option 1: Default Parameter Value (Simplest Fix)
```javascript
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
This assigns an empty array if `users` is `undefined`, so `.map()` always has an array to work with.
---
###…
9.4s798 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Claude Opus 4.6
# Code Review: `get_data` Function
## Original Issues Identified
1. **Imports inside function** – reduces clarity and adds per-call overhead
2. **Bare `except`** – catches everything including `KeyboardInterrupt` and `SystemExit`
3. **`== True` comparison** – non-Pythonic
4. **Manual list building** – could use a list comprehension
5. **No logging** – failures happen silently
6. **No response validation** – assumes JSON is always a list of dicts with specific keys
7. **Magic numbers** – `timeout=10`, `sleep(2)` unexplained
8. **Vague function/variable names** – `r`, `data`, `get_data`
---
## Improved Version
```python
import logging
import time
from typing import Any
import requests
fr…
19.9s1223 output tokens
Claude Sonnet 4.6
## Code Review and Improvements
### Issues Identified
1. **Imports inside function** – should be at module level
2. **Bare `except`** – catches everything including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`
3. **`== True` comparison** – not Pythonic
4. **No logging/error visibility** – silent failures make debugging hard
5. **Magic numbers** – hardcoded `2`, `10` with no explanation
6. **No distinction between retriable/non-retriable errors** – e.g., 404 should not be retried
7. **Inefficient list building** – list comprehension is cleaner
8. **No exponential backoff** – fixed sleep is naive for real-world retry logic
9. **Missing type hints and docstring**
---
### Improved Version
```python
im…
14.4s1099 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.6 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
- Per 1M output tokens, Claude Opus 4.6 is ¥4,200 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is ¥2,772 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Claude Sonnet 4.6 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Claude Opus 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare?
- Claude Opus 4.6 takes 1,000,000 tokens; Claude Sonnet 4.6 takes 1,000,000.
- Which ranks higher, Claude Opus 4.6 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
- Claude Opus 4.6 ranks higher on the public arena (Claude Opus 4.6 #16, Claude Sonnet 4.6 #41). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Claude Opus 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "anthropic-claude-opus-4-6" or "anthropic-claude-sonnet-4-6" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Claude Opus 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.