Claude 4.5 vs GPT-5.1
Which AI writes better code in 2025?
Last updated: November 2025 • Based on real benchmark data
The Verdict (TL;DR)
Claude 4.5 leads in coding benchmarks (77.2% vs 76.3% on SWE-bench) and excels at complex refactoring tasks.
GPT-5.1 is faster, cheaper, and better for general-purpose tasks beyond coding.
Bottom line: For serious coding work, Claude 4.5 has the edge. For mixed workloads or budget constraints, GPT-5.1 is competitive.
Performance Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude 4.5 | GPT-5.1 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
SWE-bench Verified Real GitHub bug fixes | 77.2% | 76.3% | Claude |
AIME 2025 Advanced math problems | — | 94.0% | GPT-5.1 |
OSWorld Computer control tasks | 61.4% | — | Claude |
Response Speed Average tokens/sec | ~45 t/s | ~70 t/s | GPT-5.1 |
Pricing Breakdown
Claude 4.5 Sonnet
Input$3 / 1M tokens
Output$15 / 1M tokens
Higher cost but best-in-class coding performance
GPT-5.1
Input$2.50 / 1M tokens
Output$10 / 1M tokens
More affordable with competitive performance
Strengths & Weaknesses
Claude 4.5
Strengths
- • Highest SWE-bench score ever (77.2%)
- • Better at complex refactoring
- • More reliable code structure
- • Better at following coding style guides
Weaknesses
- • Slower response times
- • Higher API costs
- • Smaller ecosystem (fewer integrations)
GPT-5.1
Strengths
- • Faster response times (~70 t/s)
- • Lower cost per token
- • Huge ecosystem (ChatGPT, API, plugins)
- • Better at general reasoning
Weaknesses
- • Slightly lower coding benchmark scores
- • Occasional hallucinations in edge cases
- • Less consistent code formatting
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Claude 4.5 if you...
- • Work on complex refactoring projects
- • Need the absolute best code quality
- • Use AI to review or improve existing code
- • Work with large codebases (high context understanding)
- • Can afford premium pricing for better results
Choose GPT-5.1 if you...
- • Need fast iteration speed
- • Want lower API costs
- • Use AI for mixed tasks (coding + writing + reasoning)
- • Need extensive integrations (ChatGPT ecosystem)
- • Work on smaller, well-defined coding tasks
What About Claude 5?
Claude 5 is expected in Q2-Q3 2026. Track the release and get instant alerts.
Back to Claude 5 HubData Sources & Verification
- • SWE-bench Verified: Anthropic official announcement (Sep 2025), OpenAI System Card (Nov 2025)
- • AIME 2025: OpenAI research paper
- • OSWorld: Anthropic benchmark results
- • Pricing: Official API pricing pages (Nov 2025)
- • Performance tests: Axis Intelligence, artificialanalysis.ai