GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) vs GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh)
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh) by OpenAI or GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) 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 Sol (Xhigh) scores 9.6 points higher (44.2 vs 34.6) but costs 4.8× as much to run the benchmark ($855 vs $179; premium vs mid-range cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) 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 Sol (Xhigh) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 34.6 | 44.2 | +27.7% GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) is 27.7% more intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $179.33 | $854.60 | +376.6% GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) is 4.8× more expensive |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 39.18s | 45.69s | +16.6% GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) is 16.6% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $2.00 / $10.0 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
GPT-6 Sol (Xhigh) vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Xhigh): 27.7% more intelligence, 376.6% more cost to run the AA benchmark, and 16.6% 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 Sol (Xhigh) 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 Sol (Xhigh)Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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