GPT-5.6 Terra is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewPareto vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Pick Pareto for lower cost; pick GPT-5.6 Terra only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Pareto for lower cost; pick GPT-5.6 Terra only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Pareto is estimated at $6.25 vs $8 for GPT-5.6 Terra, saving $1.75 (21.9% lower).
Cost-first pickPareto
Context-first pickGPT-5.6 Terra
Sample savings$1.7521.9%
10x traffic gap$17.5
GPT-5.6 Terra has more context, but Pareto saves $1.75 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $17.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors GPT-5.6 Terra, balanced workload favors Pareto, and output-heavy chatbot favors Pareto.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Pareto | GPT-5.6 Terra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GPT-5.6 Terra | $16.25 | $16 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Pareto | $10 | $14 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Pareto | $40 | $62 |
Pareto is $4.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (37.5% lower; 1.6x difference).
GPT-5.6 Terra has 787.86K more context (4.01x larger).
Pareto is $1.75 cheaper on the standard workload (21.9% 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 Terra has the lower input price; Pareto has the lower output price; GPT-5.6 Terra offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Pareto is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6.25 for Pareto and $8 for GPT-5.6 Terra.
Choose Pareto when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose GPT-5.6 Terra when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Pareto is estimated at $6.25 vs $8 for GPT-5.6 Terra, saving $1.75 (21.9% lower).
- Pareto is $1.75 cheaper on the standard workload (21.9% lower).
- GPT-5.6 Terra is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
- Pareto is $4.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (37.5% lower; 1.6x difference).
- GPT-5.6 Terra has 787.86K more context (4.01x larger).
| Feature | NewPareto (unbiased) | GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $2.5 | $2 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $7.5 | $12 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $6.25 | $8 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1.05M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Pareto | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Pareto is estimated at $6.25 vs $8 for GPT-5.6 Terra, saving $1.75 (21.9% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GPT-5.6 Terra | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Pareto | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5.6 Terra | 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 Terra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.6 Terra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.6 Terra when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- GPT-5 Nano (batch) can replace GPT-5.6 Terra 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.
- GLM 5.3 Flash offers 1.31M context with $0.24 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.12 sample workload cost.
- Qwen3.8 Max (0902) · Qwen · #1
- GPT-5.6 Luna · OpenAI · #2
- Hy4 preview · Tencent · #3
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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Open OpenAI modelsPareto is a multimodal composite model built for research, coding, and agentic workflows, while delivering frontier-level performance across a broad range of general-purpose tasks.
GPT-5.6 Terra is a balanced model in OpenAI's GPT-5.6 series, positioned between the flagship Sol tier and the cost-efficient Luna tier. It is suited for everyday coding, reasoning, and agentic...