GPT-5 Mini vs Claude Sonnet 5

OpenAI's smaller, faster GPT-5 model is built for well-defined tasks at low cost. GPT-5 Mini handles coding, writing, and analysis with the same reasoning-effort control as its larger siblings, at a fraction of the price. It reads text and images across a 400,000-token context. Its knowledge is dated, and OpenAI now points to newer models, but it remains a capable, economical everyday option.

The all-rounder in the Claude family, and a sensible default for most work. Sonnet 5 codes, writes, and analyses across the same ground as the flagship, reads images and documents, and holds the same very large context. It is faster and costs less. It gives up ground only on problems difficult enough to need the flagship.