Claude Fable 5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6
Price, context and benchmark scores side by side — every number from the live model catalogue.
| Claude Fable 5anthropic | Claude Sonnet 4.6anthropic | |
|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $10.00 | $3.00 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $50.00 | $15.00 |
| 1M in + 300K out | $25.00 | $7.50 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Intelligence index | 59.9 | 47.2 |
| Coding index | 76.5 | 63.0 |
| Agentic index | 52.8 | 40.8 |
| Cheapest provider | Azure | Azure |
| Providers serving it | 4 | 4 |
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
| Image input | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning mode | Yes | Yes |
| Released | Jun 9, 2026 | Feb 17, 2026 |
Which one to pick
Pick Claude Fable 5 if…
- You want the higher general-intelligence score (59.9).
- Code quality is the priority — it leads on the coding index (76.5).
- You are running agent loops — higher agentic index (52.8).
Pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 if…
- Token cost matters: $15.00 per 1M output vs $50.00.
- You need the bigger context window (1M).
FAQ
Is Claude Fable 5 better than Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Fable 5 scores higher on general intelligence (59.9 vs 47.2), while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 3.3× cheaper per output token ($15.00 vs $50.00). For code, Claude Fable 5 leads (76.5 coding index). Claude Sonnet 4.6 takes the larger context at 1M.
Which is cheaper, Claude Fable 5 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Sonnet 4.6, at $15.00 per 1M output tokens versus $50.00. On a 1M input + 300K output workload that is $7.50 against $25.00.
Can I self-host Claude Fable 5 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?
Claude Fable 5: closed weights, API only. Claude Sonnet 4.6: closed weights, API only.