API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) vs Fugu Ultra

Pick GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when budget and context both matter.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is estimated at $3.5 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra, saving $16.5 (82.5% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)
Context-first pickGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)
Sample savings$16.582.5%
10x traffic gap$165

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $165. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)Fugu Ultra
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)$7.5$40
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)$6$35
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)$26$155
Cheaper input GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) $1 vs $5 / 1M

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) $5 vs $30 / 1M

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (83.3% lower; 6x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) 1.05M vs 1M

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) has 50K more context (1.05x larger).

Sample workload GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) $3.5 vs $20

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $16.5 cheaper on the standard workload (82.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) Calculating… Estimated API cost
Fugu Ultra Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) has the lower input price; GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) has the lower output price; GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $3.5 for GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) and $20 for Fugu Ultra.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Fugu Ultra when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is estimated at $3.5 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra, saving $16.5 (82.5% lower).
  • GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $16.5 cheaper on the standard workload (82.5% lower).
  • GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).
  • GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is $25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (83.3% lower; 6x difference).
  • GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) has 50K more context (1.05x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)
(OpenAI)		Fugu Ultra
(Sakana)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$1$5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$5$30
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$3.5$20
Context Window1.05M1M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) is estimated at $3.5 vs $20 for Fugu Ultra, saving $16.5 (82.5% lower).
High-volume input processingGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.6 Sol (batch)A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.12.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

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OpenAI catalog

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Sakana catalog

Check other Sakana models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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GPT-5.6 Sol (batch)

GPT-5.6 Sol is the flagship model in OpenAI's GPT-5.6 series. It is suited for complex reasoning, coding, and agentic workflows, and is particularly strong at command-line and multi-step coding tasks...

Fugu Ultra

Fugu Ultra is the higher-performance model in Sakana AI's Fugu family. Rather than a single monolithic model, Fugu is a learned multi-agent orchestration system: a language model trained to route...