GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) vs GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium)
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) by OpenAI or GPT-6.1 Sol (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-6.1 Sol (Medium) scores 13.2 points higher (47.8 vs 34.6) but costs 2.0× as much to run the benchmark ($361 vs $179; both mid-range class). Pick GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh).
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) | GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 34.6 | 47.8 | +38.2% GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) is 38.2% more intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $179.33 | $361.37 | +101.5% GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) is 2.0× more expensive |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 45.80s | 13.94s | −69.6% GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) is 69.6% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $2.00 / $10.0 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh): 38.2% more intelligence, 101.5% more cost to run the AA benchmark, and 69.6% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Terra (Medium) scores 41.30 for $175.
- GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) is on today's frontier: nothing is both smarter and cheaper.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh)GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium)Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
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