GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) vs GPT-6 Luna (Medium)
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) by OpenAI or GPT-6 Luna (Medium) by OpenAI? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-26.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-6 Luna (Medium) scores 14.4 points higher (29.9 vs 15.5) but costs 1.4× as much to run the benchmark ($31.2 vs $23.0; both budget class). Pick GPT-6 Luna (Medium) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning).
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) | GPT-6 Luna (Medium) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 15.5 | 29.9 | +92.9% GPT-6 Luna (Medium) is 92.9% more intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $22.97 | $31.17 | +35.7% GPT-6 Luna (Medium) is 35.7% more expensive |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 5.06s | Not reported | — not comparable |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $0.10 / $0.50 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
GPT-6 Luna (Medium) vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning): 92.9% more intelligence, 35.7% more cost to run the AA benchmark, and end-to-end time not fully reported.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Luna (Low) scores 21.50 for $10.6.
- GPT-6 Luna (Medium) is on today's frontier: nothing is both smarter and cheaper.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning)GPT-6 Luna (Medium)Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna-non-reasoning/gpt-6-luna-medium · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna-non-reasoning/gpt-6-luna-medium?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill