Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs MiniMax M3: API Pricing
Input and output token rates, context windows, and real monthly cost for Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) and MiniMax M3 (MiniMax), side by side. Prices are standard on-demand rates as of June 2026.
The short answer
For a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month), MiniMax M3 is the cheaper option at $32.40/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 91% less (11.1× cheaper). On the headline sticker of 1M input + 1M output, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and MiniMax M3 is $1.50.
Rates at a glance
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/1M tokens) | $3.00 | $0.30 |
| Output ($/1M tokens) | $15.00 | $1.20 |
| Blended (1M in + 1M out) | $18.00 | $1.50 |
| Context window | 1,000K | 1,000K |
| Type | Proprietary | Open-weight |
| Provider | Anthropic | MiniMax |
Monthly cost by workload
Estimated monthly API spend at each workload's token volume. Output usually costs several times input, so the winner can flip with your mix.
| Workload | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | MiniMax M3 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot / assistant 10M in / 3M out | $75.00/mo | $6.60/mo | MiniMax M3 |
| Coding agent 60M in / 12M out | $360/mo | $32.40/mo | MiniMax M3 |
| RAG / summarization 40M in / 4M out | $180/mo | $16.80/mo | MiniMax M3 |
| Batch / classification 20M in / 2M out | $90.00/mo | $8.40/mo | MiniMax M3 |
Want your own in/out split? Use the full interactive comparator to rank every model and provider for your exact workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or MiniMax M3 cheaper?
It depends on your input/output mix, but for a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month) MiniMax M3 costs $32.40/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 91% less (11.1x). On the headline sticker (1M input + 1M output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and MiniMax M3 is $1.50.
What are the token rates for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M3?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) is $3.00 per 1M input and $15.00 per 1M output. MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) is $0.30 per 1M input and $1.20 per 1M output. These are standard on-demand rates, not cached or batch.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or MiniMax M3 open-weight?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary and MiniMax M3 is open-weight. Open-weight models can be self-hosted or run on third-party hosts at different rates, so the first-party price shown here is a starting point, not the only option.
What context window do Claude Sonnet 4.6 and MiniMax M3 support?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000K tokens and MiniMax M3 supports 1,000K tokens. Some models also step up pricing past a size threshold - check the source pricing pages for long-context tiers.
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