Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

Compare Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
CategoryReasoningOpen Source
Parameters~500B72B
Context Window200K128K
Input Price$0.03/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.15/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~350ms

Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) when:

  • ✓ Complex analysis
  • ✓ Multi-step logic
  • ✓ Verification tasks
Key Strengths:

Transparent thinking, Strong reasoning, Self-correction

Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Unrestricted generation
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Uncensored, Strong instruction following, Versatile

Verdict: Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

For cost efficiency, Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) wins at $0.03/1M input tokens. For speed, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is faster at ~350ms. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) excels at Complex analysis while Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is better for Creative writing. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) costs $0.03/1M input tokens and $0.15/1M output tokens. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) is 1.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) has a 200K context window with ~600ms latency. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) has the larger context window.

Best For

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) (Reasoning) is optimized for: Complex analysis, Multi-step logic, Verification tasks. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source) works best for: Creative writing, Unrestricted generation, Research.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking)
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-3-5-sonnet-thinking",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dolphin-2-9-3-72b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) (Reasoning, ~500B) offers Transparent thinking. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source, 72B) offers Uncensored. Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) for Complex analysis or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B for Creative writing.

How much does Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) cost vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking): $0.03/1M input, $0.15/1M output. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Thinking) and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.