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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max vs GPT-5.6 Luna

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max (OpenAI) and GPT-5.6 Luna (OpenAI) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, GPT-5.6 Luna holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#17 vs #109); GPT-5.6 Luna is 8.3× cheaper per output token ($1.20/1M vs $10.00/1M); and GPT-5.6 Luna offers the longer context window (1M vs 400K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-5.1-Codex-Max if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which GPT-5.1-Codex-Max leads GPT-5.6 Luna for this pair.

Choose GPT-5.6 Luna if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #17 against #109 (68.0 vs 22.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $1.20/1M output tokens against $10.00/1M, about 8.3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.20/1M against $1.25/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 400K.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 1.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GPT-5.6 Luna was listed 9 July 2026, GPT-5.1-Codex-Max 4 December 2025.

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max vs GPT-5.6 Luna: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and GPT-5.6 Luna
FieldGPT-5.1-Codex-MaxOpenAIGPT-5.6 LunaOpenAI
ModelCap Index position#109#17
Index score22.568.0
EvidenceEstimatedMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$1.25$0.20
Output price / 1M tokens$10.00$1.20
Context window400K tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens128K128K
API providers listed13
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, ImageFile, Image, Text
First listed4 December 20259 July 2026
PublisherOpenAIOpenAI

Evidence: publisher corpus prior · leave-one-anchor-out calibrated · 6 public benchmark observations across 6 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: GPT-5.1-Codex-Max vs GPT-5.6 Luna

Public benchmark boards where GPT-5.1-Codex-Max or GPT-5.6 Luna has a published result
BoardGPT-5.1-Codex-MaxGPT-5.6 LunaLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14981489–1508X-HighOnly one result
LMArena AgentLMArena4.3%2.4%–6.2%X-HighOnly one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation59.5%MaxOnly one result
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation0.2%MaxOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis52.3intelligence-indexOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max vs GPT-5.6 Luna: common questions

Is GPT-5.1-Codex-Max better than GPT-5.6 Luna?

GPT-5.6 Luna ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #17 against #109. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is GPT-5.1-Codex-Max cheaper than GPT-5.6 Luna?

GPT-5.6 Luna is cheaper on output tokens: $1.20/1M against $10.00/1M. Input tokens are $1.25/1M for GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and $0.20/1M for GPT-5.6 Luna. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5.1-Codex-Max or GPT-5.6 Luna?

GPT-5.6 Luna has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 400K.

Which is better for coding, GPT-5.1-Codex-Max or GPT-5.6 Luna?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and GPT-5.6 Luna open-weight models?

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max: API only. GPT-5.6 Luna: API only. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and GPT-5.6 Luna?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for GPT-5.1-Codex-Max and 3 for GPT-5.6 Luna, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this GPT-5.1-Codex-Max vs GPT-5.6 Luna comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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