Mid-Tier Showdown
GPT-5.6 Terra vs Claude Sonnet 5
Two mid-tier models, similar prices, different strengths. Which one should you use?
Last verified: Jul 13, 2026 · See all 67 models ranked →
| Feature | GPT-5.6 Terra | Claude Sonnet 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price (per 1M tokens) | $2.50 | $2.00 |
| Output price (per 1M tokens) | $15.00 | $10.00 |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Standard request cost | $0.00975 | $0.006 |
| Output-heavy request cost | $0.0375 | $0.02 |
| Price note | — | Introductory pricing through Aug 31, 2026 |
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OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Terra
$0
estimated monthly cost
Input cost$0
Output cost$0
Per request$0
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
$0
estimated monthly cost
Input cost$0
Output cost$0
Per request$0
The Verdict
Claude Sonnet 5 wins on price. GPT-5.6 Terra wins on context.
Claude Sonnet 5 ($2/$10) is 20% cheaper on input and 33% cheaper on output than GPT-5.6 Terra ($2.50/$15). For most workloads, Claude Sonnet 5 offers better value. But GPT-5.6 Terra has a 5% larger context window (1.05M vs 1M), which matters for processing very large documents or codebases.
When to Choose Claude Sonnet 5
- Cost-sensitive workloads: 20-33% cheaper across the board. For high-volume APIs, this adds up fast.
- Output-heavy tasks: Chatbots, code generation, summarization — Claude Sonnet 5's $10 output price beats Terra's $15 by 33%.
- Introductory pricing: Claude Sonnet 5's $2/$10 pricing is introductory through Aug 31, 2026. After that, it may increase to $3/$15.
When to Choose GPT-5.6 Terra
- Massive context needs: The 1.05M context window is the largest available. If you need to process entire codebases or 500K+ token documents, GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge.
- OpenAI ecosystem: If you're already using OpenAI's API and want to stay in their ecosystem.
- Specific training advantages: OpenAI's models may have advantages for certain task types — test both for your specific use case.
Cost Comparison: Real-World Scenarios
Chatbot (1,000 requests/day, 1,500 input, 400 output)
GPT-5.6 Terra$292.50/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$180.00/mo
Monthly savings$112.50/mo (38%)
Code Generation (200 requests/day, 3,000 input, 1,200 output)
GPT-5.6 Terra$1,485.00/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$540.00/mo
Monthly savings$945.00/mo (64%)
RAG Pipeline (500 queries/day, 5,000 input, 800 output)
GPT-5.6 Terra$600.00/mo
Claude Sonnet 5$240.00/mo
Monthly savings$360.00/mo (60%)
Full Comparison Table
| Model | Input/1M | Output/1M | vs GPT-5.6 Terra | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.6 Terra | $2.50 | $15.00 | — | 1.05M |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | $2.00 | $10.00 | 20% cheaper input, 33% cheaper output | 1M |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 | 20% cheaper input, 20% cheaper output | 1M |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | $1.00 | $6.00 | 60% cheaper input, 60% cheaper output | 1.05M |
| GPT-5 | $1.25 | $10.00 | 50% cheaper input, 33% cheaper output | 272K |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.44 | $0.87 | 82% cheaper input, 94% cheaper output | 1M |
| Mistral Large 3 | $0.50 | $1.50 | 80% cheaper input, 90% cheaper output | 262K |
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