OpenAI Releases GPT-6.1 Terra at Half the API Price of Its Predecessor
By Mayank Parmar · · TexaHub · LLMs & Foundation Models, Model Comparisons
OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Terra on October 26, a mid-tier model aimed at computer use and everyday work. API pricing is $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, 50% below GPT-5.6 Terra.
Pricing and Availability
OpenAI's main model classes run, from lowest to highest capability and price, Luna, Terra, Sol and Astra. Terra had been left out when OpenAI released the GPT-6 Sol and Luna models the previous month, and the October 26 release moved it from GPT-5.6 to GPT-6.1. [3]
OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Terra on October 26, describing it as a fast, efficient model for computer use, visual reasoning, coding and writing. It is rolling out to Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and is available in the API as gpt-6.1-terra. [1] [2]
Standard API prices are 50% lower than those of GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol, at $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens. OpenAI said usage allowances in ChatGPT Work and Codex are higher than for GPT-5.6 Terra, GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra. [1] [2]
Benchmark Claims
OpenAI said Terra performs on par with GPT-6 Astra at one-tenth of its price per token and completes tasks more than three times faster on average than both Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol. On Agents' Last Exam, a test of how well agents use workplace software, Terra scored 15 percentage points higher than GPT-5.6 Terra at medium reasoning effort, at about one-third of the cost. [1] [2]
On an internal OpenAI benchmark of error-inducing prompts, the error rate at low reasoning effort fell from 53.6% with GPT-5.6 Terra to 16.7%, a drop of nearly 37 percentage points. At maximum effort it fell by 18 percentage points to 4.3%, close to the rates of GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol. On Terminal-Bench 4.0 at maximum reasoning effort, Terra scored 50.3%, against 21.5% for GPT-5.6 Terra. [1] [3]
Position in the Lineup
Terra is not intended to replace OpenAI's largest models. The company said GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra remain the better choice for in-depth research and the most complex coding tasks. The figures cited at launch are OpenAI's own and had not been independently verified at the time of release. [1] [2]
Early user reports on OpenAI's developer forum were mixed. One developer said Terra's computer use was faster than Sol's but that it called the wrong tool more often, while another said Sol won both tasks in a coding comparison, taking longer to finish. [2]
Sources
[1] OpenAI launches GPT-6.1 Terra with 3x faster AI agents, 50% lower pricing — BleepingComputer
[2] GPT-6.1 Terra: delivering fast and capable computer use at a lower price — OpenAI Developer Community
[3] OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT and Codex with new GPT-6.1 Terra model — 9to5Mac