GPT-5.6 Sol is $28 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5.5 Pro
Pick GPT-5.6 Sol when budget is the priority.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GPT-5.6 Sol when budget is the priority.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol is estimated at $7 vs $120 for GPT-5.5 Pro, saving $113 (94.2% lower).
Cost-first pickGPT-5.6 Sol
Context-first pickBoth models
Sample savings$11394.2%
10x traffic gap$1130
The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1130. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GPT-5.6 Sol stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GPT-5.6 Sol | GPT-5.5 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GPT-5.6 Sol | $15 | $240 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GPT-5.6 Sol | $12 | $210 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GPT-5.6 Sol | $52 | $930 |
GPT-5.6 Sol is $170 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 18x difference).
Both models report the same context window at 1.05M tokens.
GPT-5.6 Sol is $113 cheaper on the standard workload (94.2% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
GPT-5.6 Sol has the lower input price; GPT-5.6 Sol has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.6 Sol is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $7 for GPT-5.6 Sol and $120 for GPT-5.5 Pro.
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose GPT-5.5 Pro when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol is estimated at $7 vs $120 for GPT-5.5 Pro, saving $113 (94.2% lower).
- GPT-5.6 Sol is $113 cheaper on the standard workload (94.2% lower).
- GPT-5.6 Sol is $28 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
- GPT-5.6 Sol is $170 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 18x difference).
- Both models report the same context window at 1.05M tokens.
| Feature | 🔥GPT-5.6 Sol (OpenAI) | GPT-5.5 Pro (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $2 | $30 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $10 | $180 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $7 | $120 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 1.05M |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #15 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GPT-5.6 Sol | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.6 Sol is estimated at $7 vs $120 for GPT-5.5 Pro, saving $113 (94.2% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GPT-5.6 Sol | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GPT-5.6 Sol | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Tie | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.6 Sol when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.12.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsOpenAI catalog
Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open OpenAI modelsGPT-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...
GPT-5.5 Pro is OpenAI’s high-capability model optimized for deep reasoning and accuracy on complex, high-stakes workloads. It features a 1M+ token context window (922K input, 128K output) with support for...