GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) vs GPT-6.1 Terra (Max)
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) by OpenAI or GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) by OpenAI? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-27.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) scores 13.5 points higher (48.1 vs 34.6) but costs 5.1× as much to run the benchmark ($909 vs $179; premium vs mid-range cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) when you need intelligence above 34.6, and GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) when 34.6 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) | GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 34.6 | 48.1 | +39.0% GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) is 39.0% more intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $179.33 | $909.01 | +406.9% GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) is 5.1× more expensive |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 45.82s | 194.83s | +325.2% GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) is 325.2% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $1.00 / $5.00 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
GPT-6.1 Terra (Max) vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh): 39.0% more intelligence, 406.9% more cost to run the AA benchmark, and 325.2% slower 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 Terra (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Xhigh) scores 51.00 for $662.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh)GPT-6.1 Terra (Max)Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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