GPT-6.1 Terra Pricing: Where OpenAI's New Mid-Tier Fits

OpenAI has added a new middle option to its GPT-6.1 family. GPT-6.1 Terra, announced on October 26, 2026, sits between the budget Luna tier and the higher-end Sol and Astra models, and its headline is price. OpenAI says Terra's standard API rates are 50% lower than both GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol, which makes it a natural fit for developers running high-volume automation who still want more capability than the cheapest tier offers.

• API price: $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, according to The Register
• Knowledge cutoff: June 1, 2026, the most recent in the GPT-6.1 family (Sol and Astra stop at April 30, 2026)
• Positioning: OpenAI's mid-range tier, billed as "bringing fast and capable computer use to everyone"
• Independent view: Artificial Analysis says Terra is more intelligent than GPT-5.6 Terra at less than a third of the cost

How Much Does GPT-6.1 Terra Cost?

OpenAI's lineup now spans four tiers, and The Register laid out the current API pricing per million tokens:

• GPT-6 Luna: $0.10 input, $0.50 output
• GPT-6.1 Terra: $1 input, $5 output
• GPT-6.1 Sol: $2 input, $10 output
• GPT-6 Astra: $10 input, $50 output

That puts Terra at one-tenth of Astra's API price and half of Sol's. OpenAI's own example of where the savings matter is mundane in the best way: reading incoming invoices and entering the details into accounting software, the kind of repetitive work where per-token costs add up fast. If you are weighing the cheapest tier instead, our breakdown of GPT-6 Luna pricing and the Decisions API covers that end of the range.

What Is GPT-6.1 Terra Good At?

OpenAI's announcement frames Terra around speed and computer use, meaning AI that operates software interfaces on your behalf. Ted Sanders, a member of OpenAI's technical staff, offered a candid comparison on Hacker News, quoted by The Register: he said Terra is probably better than Astra and Sol at technical communication, similar on vision and computer use "but much faster," and a bit behind on most other tasks. For API developers, he called it a nice midrange option for anyone who wants something cheaper than Sol but much smarter than Luna.

Two more details stand out:

• Fresher knowledge: with a June 1, 2026 cutoff, Terra knows about a month more of world events than its pricier siblings
• Fewer needless refusals: The Register reports that Terra avoids unnecessary refusals more often than GPT-6.1 Sol

Who Should Switch to the Terra Tier?

The sweet spot is clear. Teams running agents that click through web apps, process documents in bulk or handle customer messages at scale can likely cut costs sharply by moving eligible workloads from Sol to Terra and keeping Astra for the hardest reasoning tasks. ChatGPT subscribers get a lighter benefit: Sanders suggested Terra can stretch usage limits further and deliver quicker computer-use sessions.

The broader trend is good news for everyone building with AI. As The Register notes, model prices keep falling while capability rises, and a mid-tier model that beats last generation's equivalent at a fraction of the price is exactly that pattern. For how the top two tiers compare, see our GPT-6.1 Sol vs Astra pricing guide, or browse more AI model news.

Sources: OpenAI: Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra — October 26, 2026; The Register — October 26, 2026.