THE TICKER · OPENAI · CHECKED DAILY · LAST CHANGE 2026-09-30
OPENAI API PRICING
One lineup from Mini to 5.6 — output at 6x, Mini is the trap.
OpenAI runs the widest lineup on the board: four models, all at a 6x output multiple, all with automatic prompt caching (no markers, no code). The trap is GPT-5 Mini: $0.25 input is cheap enough that nobody routes away from it, and expensive enough that a fleet of 100 mini-agents on autopilot lands as a line item that dwarfs your flagship spend. Cached reads on GPT-5.5 drop to $0.50/MTok — the largest absolute cache discount on the board.
THE OPENAI LINEUP
USD PER MILLION TOKENS · 2026-10-13| Model | Input / MTok | Output / MTok | Multiple | Cached read | Cache write |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 Astra Top GPT-6 tier: 5x Sol, 100x Luna. Reprices to $20/$75 past 272K input tokens. | $10.00 | $50.00 | 5.0x | $1.00 | $12.50 |
| GPT-5.6 Priced like gpt-5.6-sol — the mid-high GPT-5.6 tier, one below Cyber. | $4.00 | $20.00 | 5.0x | $0.400 | $5.00 |
| GPT-5.6 Cyber Top GPT-5.6 tier, above sol. Alias: daybreak-red-latest. | $12.50 | $75.00 | 6.0x | $1.25 | $15.63 |
| GPT-5.5 | $5.00 | $30.00 | 6.0x | $0.500 | — |
| GPT-5.4 | $2.50 | $15.00 | 6.0x | $0.250 | — |
| GPT-5.6 Terra Mid GPT-5.6 tier. | $2.00 | $12.00 | 6.0x | $0.200 | $2.50 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol Same list price as GPT-6 Sol, but cache reads cost half: $0.20 to $0.10/MTok. Only GPT-6.1 tier listed so far. | $2.00 | $10.00 | 5.0x | $0.100 | $2.50 |
| GPT-6 Sol Mid GPT-6 tier, 5x below Astra. Same input as GPT-5.6 Terra, cheaper output. | $2.00 | $10.00 | 5.0x | $0.200 | $2.50 |
| GPT-5 Mini | $0.250 | $2.00 | 8.0x | $0.025 | — |
| GPT-5.6 Luna Cheapest GPT-5.6 tier — 25x below the top one. | $0.200 | $1.20 | 6.0x | $0.020 | $0.250 |
| GPT-6 Luna Cheapest GPT-6 tier — 100x below Astra, and half the price of the 5.6 Luna it succeeds. | $0.100 | $0.500 | 5.0x | $0.010 | $0.125 |
Source: developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing · last confirmed against the daily source on 2026-10-14 · effective public price, promos included.
ONE JOB ACROSS THE OPENAI LINEUP
Estimates, not invoices.
OPENAI CHANGELOG
GPT-6.1 Sol joins the board at $2.00 in / $10.00 out per MTok — same list price as GPT-6 Sol, but cache reads cost half: $0.20 down to $0.10/MTok.
GPT-6 Sol joins the board at $2.00 in / $10.00 out per MTok — GPT-6 ships tiered after all, and this one undercuts the GPT-5.6 Terra it sits beside on output.
GPT-6 Luna joins the board at $0.10 in / $0.50 out per MTok — the cheapest model we track, 100x below GPT-6 Astra and half the price of GPT-5.6 Luna.
GPT-6 Astra joins the board at $10.00 in / $50.00 out per MTok — OpenAI's next generation, 2.5x GPT-5.6 Sol's rate. Reprices past 272K input tokens.
GPT-5.6 Cyber joins the board at $12.50 in / $75.00 out per MTok — a new tier above sol, spotted by our radar on 2026-08-21.
GPT-5.6 drops to $4 in / $20 out per MTok (-20% in, -33% out).
GPT-5.6 Terra joins the board at $2.00 in / $12.00 out per MTok.
GPT-5.6 Luna joins the board at $0.20 in / $1.20 out per MTok — 25x below the top GPT-5.6 tier, same model family.
GPT-5 Mini joins the board at $0.25 in / $2.00 out per MTok.
GPT-5.6 joins the board at $5.00 in / $30.00 out per MTok.