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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6 Astra

GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI) and GPT-6 Astra (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 9 September 2026

As of 9 September 2026, GPT-6 Astra holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#1 vs #15); and GPT-5.6 Terra is 4.2× cheaper per output token ($12.00/1M vs $50.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-5.6 Terra if…

  • API cost matters — $12.00/1M output tokens against $50.00/1M, about 4.2× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $2.00/1M against $10.00/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 2.

Choose GPT-6 Astra if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #1 against #15 (93.7 vs 76.1 points).
  • LMArena Agent is your yardstick — 12.5% against 1.5%.
  • ARC-AGI-2 is your yardstick — 95.0% against 83.9%.
  • ARC-AGI-3 is your yardstick — 62.7% against 0.8%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 52.8 against 42.3.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 88.4% against 88.0%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 54.7% against 42.9%.
  • Terminal-Bench 4.0 is your yardstick — 58.2% against 21.5%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GPT-6 Astra was listed 4 September 2026, GPT-5.6 Terra 9 July 2026.

GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6 Astra: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6 Astra
FieldGPT-5.6 TerraOpenAIGPT-6 AstraOpenAI
ModelCap Index position#15#1
Index score76.193.7
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$2.00$10.00
Output price / 1M tokens$12.00$50.00
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens128K128K
API providers listed32
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesFile, Image, TextFile, Image, Text
First listed9 July 20264 September 2026
PublisherOpenAIOpenAI

Evidence: 6 public benchmark observations across 6 boards · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6 Astra

Public benchmark boards where GPT-5.6 Terra or GPT-6 Astra has a published result
BoardGPT-5.6 TerraGPT-6 AstraLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15191511–1527X-High—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena1.5%0.3%–2.7%X-High12.5%10.4%–14.7%MaxGPT-6 Astra
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation83.9%Max95.0%MaxGPT-6 Astra
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation0.8%Max62.7%MaxGPT-6 Astra
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis42.3intelligence-index:v4.3:max52.8intelligence-index:v4.3:maxGPT-6 Astra
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis88.0%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="GPT-5.6 Terra (max)":reasoning=true88.4%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="GPT-6 Astra (max)":reasoning=trueGPT-6 Astra
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis86.3%tau2:telecom:dual-control:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="GPT-5.6 Terra (max)":reasoning=true—Only one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis42.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="GPT-5.6 Terra (max)":reasoning=true54.7%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="GPT-6 Astra (max)":reasoning=trueGPT-6 Astra
Terminal-Bench 4.0Terminal-Bench (Laude Institute)21.5%18.3%–24.8%Codex · Max58.2%55.4%–61.0%Codex · MaxGPT-6 Astra

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-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6 Astra: common questions

Is GPT-5.6 Terra better than GPT-6 Astra?

GPT-6 Astra ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 9 September 2026: #1 against #15. 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. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is GPT-5.6 Terra cheaper than GPT-6 Astra?

GPT-5.6 Terra is cheaper on output tokens: $12.00/1M against $50.00/1M. Input tokens are $2.00/1M for GPT-5.6 Terra and $10.00/1M for GPT-6 Astra. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $10.00 for GPT-5.6 Terra versus $45.00 for GPT-6 Astra. GPT-5.6 Terra costs 77.8% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5.6 Terra or GPT-6 Astra?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, GPT-5.6 Terra or GPT-6 Astra?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: GPT-5.6 Terra 88.0%, GPT-6 Astra 88.4% — GPT-6 Astra leads. Terminal-Bench 4.0: GPT-5.6 Terra 21.5%, GPT-6 Astra 58.2% — GPT-6 Astra leads.

Are GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6 Astra open-weight models?

GPT-5.6 Terra: API only. GPT-6 Astra: 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-5.6 Terra and GPT-6 Astra?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for GPT-5.6 Terra and 2 for GPT-6 Astra, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6 Astra comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 9 September 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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