GPT-6.1 Terra review
OpenAI's new mid-price model for computer use and everyday work, at half the price of GPT-6.1 Sol.
The new sweet spot in OpenAI's line-up. It costs half as much as GPT-6.1 Sol, and independent tests from Artificial Analysis put it only a few points behind Sol. It is a big jump over the old GPT-5.6 Terra, especially on computer use and on not making things up. For the hardest coding work, OpenAI itself still points you to Sol or Astra.
What is GPT-6.1 Terra?
GPT-6.1 Terra is an OpenAI model released on 26 October 2026. It is the mid-price tier of OpenAI's four models, Luna, Terra, Sol and Astra, and replaces GPT-5.6 Terra, which the GPT-6 launch had skipped. OpenAI built it for using a computer, understanding screenshots and images, writing and everyday coding.
Key features
- Half the price of GPT-6.1 Sol: $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens
- OpenAI says it finishes tasks more than three times faster than GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol
- Far fewer made-up answers: Artificial Analysis measured its hallucination rate falling from 88% to 38% against GPT-5.6 Terra
- Reads about 1 million tokens at once and writes up to 128,000
- In ChatGPT Work and Codex on paid plans, the OpenAI API and OpenRouter
Specs and price
| Made by | OpenAI |
| Released | 26 Oct 2026 |
| API price | $1 per 1M input tokens, $5 per 1M output tokens |
| Repeated input (cache) | $0.05 per 1M tokens |
| How much it can read | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Longest answer | 128,000 tokens |
| Reads | Text, images and files |
| Where | ChatGPT Work and Codex on Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu. Free plans are not mentioned |
| Free to download | No |
| Name in the API | gpt-6.1-terra |
Test scores
| Test | Score | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 4.0Coding in a terminal, max effort | 50.3% (GPT-5.6 Terra: 21.5%) | OpenAI |
| OpenAI error testWrong answers on tricky prompts, max effort | 4.3%, close to GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol | OpenAI |
| Coding Agent Index v2.0Independent coding-agent score | 48 (GPT-6.1 Sol: 54, GPT-6 Luna: 31) | Independent |
| AA-OmniscienceHow often it guesses instead of saying it does not know | 38% (GPT-5.6 Terra: 88%) | Independent |
| Cost per taskArtificial Analysis, max effort | $0.40 (GPT-5.6 Terra: $1.40) | Independent |
Scores published by OpenAI are the maker's own numbers. We will add our own results in the hands-on review. Independent scores are from Artificial Analysis.
How to use GPT-6.1 Terra
- In ChatGPT: sign in on a Plus, Pro, Enterprise or Edu plan and pick GPT-6.1 Terra in ChatGPT Work or Codex.
- For developers: use
gpt-6.1-terrain the OpenAI API. - Also available on OpenRouter as
openai/gpt-6.1-terra.
Who it is for
Good fit
- Developers who want near-Sol quality at half the price
- Agents that click through websites and apps
- Paid ChatGPT users who do everyday writing and coding in Codex
Skip it if
- The hardest coding projects: OpenAI recommends GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra
- Free ChatGPT users: OpenAI's launch only lists paid plans
Pros and cons
Pros
- $1 / $5 per million tokens, half of GPT-6.1 Sol
- Much fewer made-up answers than the last Terra
- Huge 1M token memory
- Independent tests back up most of the jump
Cons
- A few points behind GPT-6.1 Sol in independent tests
- Speed and Astra comparisons come from OpenAI
- Not listed for free ChatGPT plans
How it compares
GPT-6.1 Terra costs half of GPT-6.1 Sol ($2 / $10) and ten times GPT-6 Luna ($0.10 / $0.50). Artificial Analysis puts it 4 points below Sol and 10 points above Luna on its Intelligence Index, so for most work it is the cheaper choice with little loss.
Hands-on review In testing
We are running GPT-6.1 Terra on real tasks. Results will be added to this page, at the same address.
How it got here
| Date | What happened | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2026 | Artificial Analysis measures it 4 points below GPT-6.1 Sol.Artificial Analysis, GPT-6.1 Terra pushes the cost efficiency frontier | News report |
| Oct 26, 2026 | OpenAI releases GPT-6.1 Terra at $1 / $5.OpenAI, Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra (26 Oct 2026) | Confirmed |
| Sep 29, 2026 | GPT-6.1 Sol released. No Terra tier yet.DataCamp, GPT-6.1 Sol explained | Confirmed |
Frequently asked questions
When was GPT-6.1 Terra released?
On 26 October 2026.
How much does GPT-6.1 Terra cost?
In the API, $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, with cached input at $0.05 per million. In ChatGPT it is included in Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu plans inside ChatGPT Work and Codex.
Is GPT-6.1 Terra better than GPT-6.1 Sol?
No, Sol still scores a little higher, and OpenAI recommends Sol or Astra for the hardest coding. Terra costs half as much and OpenAI says it is about three times faster.
Is GPT-6.1 Terra free?
It cannot be downloaded, and OpenAI's announcement lists only paid ChatGPT plans.
What did GPT-6.1 Terra replace?
GPT-5.6 Terra. The GPT-6 launch in September only had Sol and Luna, so this is the first Terra in the GPT-6 generation.
Related models
GPT-6.1 Sol
OpenAIReplaced GPT-6 Sol a week after launch, at a lower price.
GPT-6.1 Luna
OpenAIGPT-6.1 now has Sol and Terra tiers. A cheaper Luna tier is a guess with weak evidence.
GPT-7
OpenAIGPT-6 arrived in September 2026. Markets put GPT-7 in mid 2027.