GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) vs Solar Mini 4
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) by OpenAI or Solar Mini 4 by Upstage? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-24.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) scores 22.9 points higher (47.0 vs 24.1) but costs 6.9× as much to run the benchmark ($3465 vs $502; flagship vs premium cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) when you need intelligence above 24.1, and Solar Mini 4 when 24.1 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) | Solar Mini 4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 47.0 | 24.1 | −48.7% Solar Mini 4 is 48.7% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $3,464.84 | $502.02 | −85.5% Solar Mini 4 is 85.5% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 91.96s | 27.46s | −70.1% Solar Mini 4 is 70.1% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $4.00 / $20.0 | $0.10 / $0.40 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
Solar Mini 4 vs GPT-5.6 Sol (Max): 48.7% less intelligence, 85.5% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 70.1% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Sol (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, Kimi K3.1 Pro scores 55.10 for $3117.
- Solar Mini 4 is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) scores 47.80 for $361.
GPT-5.6 Sol (Max)Solar Mini 4Today'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-sol/solar-mini4 · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-sol/solar-mini4?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill