Flagship models cost 2-4x more for marginal gains: GPT-6 Astra at $3.94/task vs $1.03
arena · x · 2026-09-17
LMArena compared the top model from each family by net improvement score and median cost per task.
- OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra (Max) +11.7% at $3.94/task; GPT-5.6 Sol (xHigh) +7.0% at just $1.03/task
- Anthropic: Claude Fable 5.1 (Max) +13.7% at $4.40/task; Claude Opus 5 (High) +10.2% at $2.07/task
Key takeaway: GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1 stand out — but both cost far more than their labs' other models despite relatively close performance, raising questions about flagship-tier value.
Related event: Agent Arena: GPT-6 Astra Costs Double for Modest Gains(2 posts)→
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