OpenAI releases GPT-6.1 Terra at $1 per 1M input tokens, half the price of GPT-5.6 Terra

What OpenAI announced

OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Terra on 26 October 2026. The company describes it as a fast, efficient model for visual reasoning, precise computer use and clear writing. The model card lists the API name as gpt-6.1-terra, with text and image input and text output. The card gives a 1,050,000-token context window, 128,000 max output tokens and a knowledge cutoff of 1 June 2026.

In the developer announcement, OpenAI says the model can understand what is on screen, take action across apps and write naturally. OpenAI positions it as a step up from GPT-5.6 Terra and says it matches GPT-6 Astra at one-tenth the price per token. OpenAI also says it finishes tasks over three times faster on average than GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol. These are vendor claims, and OpenAI did not publish the full benchmark tables in the announcement text.

How much GPT-6.1 Terra costs

The standard API price is $1.00 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens and $5.00 per million output tokens. Cache writes cost $1.25 per million tokens with 30-minute retention and $2.50 with 12-hour retention. Prompts with more than 272,000 input tokens are billed at twice the input and cache rates and 1.5 times the output rate for the whole request. Batch and Flex processing cost 50% less than Standard, Fast mode costs twice as much, and regional processing adds a 10% premium where it is offered.

OpenAI says the standard prices are 50% lower than GPT-5.6 Terra. The model card does not state a price for GPT-5.6 Terra, so the previous price is not stated in the announcement. The model supports the Responses API, Chat Completions, Batch and Realtime endpoints. Tool calling requires the Responses API. Supported tools include web search, file search, code interpreter, hosted shell, computer use and MCP. Fine-tuning is not supported. Rate limits start at 5,000 requests per minute and 1,000,000 tokens per minute on the Build tier.

What changed for API and ChatGPT users

For API developers, the change is a cheaper model in the GPT-6 series with a long context and the full tool set, including computer use. The model card lists reasoning effort settings from none to max, with medium as the default. For ChatGPT users, OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Terra is rolling out to all Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and that usage allowances go further with it than with GPT-5.6 Terra. OpenAI recommends GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra for in-depth research and complex coding.

The addendum to the GPT-6 Astra system card classifies the model as Critical in cybersecurity and High in biological and chemical capability under OpenAI's Preparedness Framework, and below the High threshold in AI self-improvement. OpenAI says it uses the same safeguards stack as GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra. The addendum reports a HealthBench Professional score of 62.7 against 57.7 for GPT-5.6 Terra, and a lower score than GPT-6 Astra on internal exploit benchmarks.

What to watch next

The announcement does not say when GPT-5.6 Terra will be retired from the API, and it does not give a date for availability in the ChatGPT consumer app outside Work and Codex. The exact Agents' Last Exam and Terminal-Bench figures are shown in charts rather than in the announcement text, so independent benchmark runs will be the next check on OpenAI's speed and cost claims. The model is listed on the AI model release tracker, and later price changes will be recorded there. More releases in this category are listed under AI Models.

Questions people ask

How much does GPT-6.1 Terra cost?

The model card lists $1.00 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens and $5.00 per million output tokens at the standard rate. Batch and Flex are 50% cheaper and Fast mode costs twice as much.

What is the context window of GPT-6.1 Terra?

1,050,000 tokens, with a maximum of 128,000 output tokens, according to OpenAI's model card. Prompts above 272,000 input tokens are billed at higher rates.

Is GPT-6.1 Terra available in ChatGPT?

OpenAI says it is available to Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and to developers in the API as gpt-6.1-terra.

Sources

1. GPT-6.1 Terra model card (OpenAI, 26 Oct 2026)
2. GPT-6.1 Terra: delivering fast and capable computer use at a lower price (OpenAI Developer Community (Announcements), 26 Oct 2026)
3. Addendum to GPT-6 Astra System Card: GPT-6.1 Terra (OpenAI Deployment Safety Hub, 26 Oct 2026)