OpenAI rolls out budget-priced mid-tier GPT-6.1 Terra

OpenAI has introduced a new mid-tier model called GPT-6.1 Terra to its GPT-6.1 family, providing strong performance at a lower price point. The company's general-purpose models are divided into four tiers, with GPT-6.1 Terra falling in the middle range. The high-end offerings include the Sol and Astra models, while the cheapest options are the Luna models.

The new Terra model is designed to balance speed, capability, and cost, according to OpenAI. Its standard API prices are 50% lower than those of GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol, making it more accessible for developers to automate high-volume work such as processing invoices and entering data into accounting software. Artificial Analysis, a site tracking model performance and cost, describes GPT-6.1 Terra as pushing the frontier of cost efficiency, being the first Terra-class model since GPT-5.6.

It offers more intelligence for less than a third of the cost of previous models. GPT-6.1 Luna, the lowest-priced tier, is priced at $0.10 per input token and $0.50 per output token, followed by GPT-6.1 Terra ($1/M input, $5/M output), GPT-6.1 Sol ($2/M input, $10/M output), and GPT-6 Astra ($10/M input, $50/M output). OpenAI's technical staff member, Ted Sanders, explains that GPT-6.1 Terra outperforms Astra and Sol in technical communication, vision, and computer use, while being slightly inferior in other areas.

For API developers, Terra is a cost-effective midrange option compared to Sol but offers superior intelligence over Luna, particularly in vision, computer use, and communication.