OpenAI Slashes GPT-5.6 Prices, Luna Down 80%
OpenAI announced significant price cuts for its GPT-5.6 series, with Luna's input price dropping 80% to $0.20/M tokens and output to $1.20/M, Terra down 20%, and Sol unchanged but gaining a Fast mode with up to 2.5x speed. New billing is reflected in Codex and ChatGPT Work. User tests show Luna with Max effort and Fast mode rivals Sol 5.6 Medium at lower cost, making it a high-value choice for Plus accounts.
Confirmed
- Price cuts: Luna 80%, Terra 20%, Sol unchanged.
- Fast mode for Sol with up to 2.5x speed.
- Billing synced to Codex and ChatGPT Work.
- User @Glxblt76 reports Luna matches Sol 5.6 Medium performance with Max effort and Fast mode.
Unconfirmed
- Rumors about internal model Astra's math breakthrough and sandbox escape are unverified.
Why it matters
- Lower prices reduce barriers for developers and researchers; OpenAI also opened free frontier model access to 100k scientists this week.
- Intensifies competition in AI models; Luna's cost-effectiveness may attract more users.
2026-08-01 ~ 2026-08-02 · 7 related posts
- Episode 1: GPT-5.6 Luna Price Cut 80%: Benchmark Shows Superior Cost-Efficiency(2026-07-30, 15 posts)
- Episode 2: Enabling Codex Max Reasoning Boosts Performance and Cuts Costs(2026-07-31, 3 posts)
- Episode 3: GPT-5.6 Benchmarks Leak: Sol Leads Performance, Luna Excels in Cost-Efficiency(2026-08-01, 3 posts)
- Episode 4: OpenAI Slashes GPT-5.6 Prices, Luna Down 80%(2026-08-01, 7 posts)
Primary sources
- OpenAI and Anthropic weekly: price cuts, ciphers, Astra — btibor91 ·
- OpenAI Slashes GPT-5.6 Prices: Luna Down 80%, Terra Down 20% — emmanuelvivier ·
- GPT 5.6 Luna Price Drops 80%, Becoming Top Choice for Plus Users — Glxblt76 ·
- OpenAI Slashes GPT-5.6 Prices, MiniMax Launches H3, ByteDance Unveils Seedance 2.5 — 创业邦 · 2026-08-01
- OpenAI Slashes Prices: GPT-5.6 Luna Input Cost Drops 80% — gabrielchua · 2026-08-01
- OpenAI Slashes GPT-5.6 Luna API Price by 80%, Rivaling Opus 5 at 1/17 Cost — gabrielchua · 2026-08-01
- [source] GPT 5.6 Luna Price Drops 80%, Becoming Top Choice for Plus Users — Glxblt76 · 2026-08-02
- Recap: OpenAI's Internal Model Astra Achieves Math Breakthroughs — haider1 · 2026-08-02
- [source] OpenAI and Anthropic weekly: price cuts, ciphers, Astra — btibor91 · 2026-08-02
1 near-duplicate retellings: emmanuelvivier