GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) vs GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning)
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) by OpenAI or GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning) 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-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) scores 16.1 points higher (34.6 vs 18.5) but costs 9.4× as much to run the benchmark ($179 vs $19.2; mid-range vs budget cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) when you need intelligence above 18.5, and GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning) when 18.5 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) | GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 34.6 | 18.5 | −46.5% GPT-6 Luna (Non-reaso… is 46.5% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $179.33 | $19.16 | −89.3% GPT-6 Luna (Non-reaso… is 89.3% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 45.86s | 5.07s | −88.9% GPT-6 Luna (Non-reaso… is 88.9% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $0.10 / $0.50 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning) vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh): 46.5% less intelligence, 89.3% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 88.9% 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 Luna (Non-reasoning) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Luna (Low) scores 21.50 for $10.6.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh)GPT-6 Luna (Non-reasoning)Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
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