Claude Sonnet 4 vs o4-mini Deep Research
Compare Anthropic and OpenAI AI models
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Claude Sonnet 4
o4-mini Deep Research
Cost Differences
o4-mini Deep Research costs less than Claude Sonnet 4
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Claude Sonnet 4 | o4-mini Deep Research |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $3.00/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $15.00/1M tokens | $8.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 200,000 tokens | 200,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 64,000 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Category | standard | reasoning |
| Capabilities | textvisioncodereasoning | textreasoningcode |
| Release Date | 5/14/2025 | 6/26/2025 |
Claude Sonnet 4 vs o4-mini Deep Research: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Claude Sonnet 4 and o4-mini Deep Research depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. o4-mini Deep Research is the more affordable option at $2.00/1M input tokens — 33% cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.
These models come from different providers — Anthropic and OpenAI — which means different API ecosystems, SDKs, rate limits, and terms of service. If you're already integrated with Anthropic, switching to OpenAIinvolves migration effort beyond just pricing. Factor in your existing infrastructure when deciding.
These models target different tiers: Claude Sonnet 4 is a standard model while o4-mini Deep Research is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. o4-mini Deep Research targets more demanding workloads, while Claude Sonnet 4 provides a cost-effective option for everyday tasks.
Output costs matter too. Claude Sonnet 4 charges $15.00/1M output tokens vs $8.00 for o4-mini Deep Research. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. o4-mini Deep Research has the edge here at $8.00/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: Claude Sonnet 4 supports vision (image inputs) while o4-mini Deep Research is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose Claude Sonnet 4 when:
- • You need more capabilities (vision)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 64,000 tokens)
- • You're already using Anthropic's API ecosystem
Choose o4-mini Deep Research when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Claude Sonnet 4 (Anthropic)
o4-mini Deep Research (OpenAI)
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