Short Answer: What is GPT-6.1 Terra?
GPT-6.1 Terra is OpenAI’s new fast, efficient model for visual reasoning, precise computer use, and clearer writing, released on October 26, 2026. It is available to Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and to developers in the API as gpt-6.1-terra at $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, according to OpenAI.
Quick Summary
- OpenAI calls GPT-6.1 Terra a significant step up from GPT-5.6 Terra, built for workday tasks such as drafting proposals, interpreting technical drawings, filling out forms, and editing videos.
- Standard API pricing is $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. OpenAI says that is 50% lower than GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol.
- The API model page lists a 1,050,000-token context window, 128,000 maximum output tokens, and a June 1, 2026 knowledge cutoff. It accepts text and image input and produces text.
- In ChatGPT, it is a model for Work and Codex, not regular Chat, according to OpenAI’s help center.
- The benchmark results come from OpenAI. We did not find independent evaluations at the time of writing.
OpenAI announced GPT-6.1 Terra on October 26, 2026, in a post titled “Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra,” and on its ChatGPT account on X. It follows the launch of GPT-6 Astra in September and the arrival of GPT-6 and Intelligent UI in ChatGPT earlier this month, and joins GPT-6.1 Sol in OpenAI’s lineup.
What Is GPT-6.1 Terra?
OpenAI describes GPT-6.1 Terra as a fast, efficient model that combines detailed visual reasoning and precise computer use with clearer, more natural writing. It is a step up from GPT-5.6 Terra for the communication and computer-based tasks that fill the workday.
OpenAI says Terra continues to advance what it calls the cost-intelligence frontier, with a new balance of speed, capability, and cost. For developers, its example is high-volume work such as reading incoming invoices and entering their details into accounting software. The API page adds uses such as matching product photos to catalog entries, interpreting technical drawings, acting on application screens, and drafting or revising text.
What Does GPT-6.1 Terra Cost, and Where Can You Use It?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex. It is not available in regular Chat. |
| API model name | gpt-6.1-terra |
| Standard price per million tokens | $1.00 input, $0.05 cached input, $5.00 output |
| Cache writes | $1.25 per million tokens with 30-minute retention |
| Context window | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Maximum output | 128,000 tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | June 1, 2026 |
| Reasoning effort | None, low, medium (default), high, xhigh, and max |
| Input and output | Text in and out. Image input only. No audio or video. |
| Price adjustments | Batch and Flex are 50% lower. Fast mode is 2x. Prompts over 272K input tokens cost 2x for input and cache and 1.5x for output. Regional processing adds a 10% premium where available. |
| Not supported | Fine-tuning |
The API page says tool calling requires the Responses API. Supported tools include web search, file search, image generation, code interpreter, hosted shell, apply patch, skills, computer use, MCP, and tool search.
In ChatGPT Work and Codex, OpenAI says the same plan usage allowance covers more tasks with GPT-6.1 Terra than with GPT-5.6 Terra, and substantially more than with GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra. The help center notes that availability depends on your plan, workspace settings, and rollout access.
What Do OpenAI’s Benchmarks Show?
All of the following figures are OpenAI’s own, from its announcement.
- Computer use: On Agents’ Last Exam, a benchmark of professional tasks, GPT-6.1 Terra at medium reasoning effort scores 15 percentage points higher than GPT-5.6 Terra at about one-third the cost. OpenAI says it performs on par with GPT-6 Astra at one-tenth the price per token.
- Speed: OpenAI says Terra completes tasks over three times faster than both GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.
- Visual reasoning: On MMMU-Pro, Terra outperforms GPT-5.6 Terra at every reasoning setting and nearly matches GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol at much lower cost.
- Desktop tasks: On OSWorld 2.1, Terra at medium effort surpasses GPT-5.6 Terra’s best score at a fraction of the cost per task.
- Factual errors: On an internal benchmark of error-inducing prompts, the error rate at low reasoning effort fell from 53.6% with GPT-5.6 Terra to 16.7%. At maximum effort it fell by 18 percentage points to 4.3%.
- Coding: On Terminal-Bench 4.0 at maximum effort, Terra solves 50.3% of tasks, compared with GPT-5.6 Terra’s published 21.5%. OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra remain the better choice for the most complex coding tasks.
- Cost against a competitor: OpenAI says that at max effort Terra is over three times as token efficient as Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 and one-fourth its price per token, a roughly 9x lower cost per task.
Vendor benchmarks are a starting point, not a verdict. Our explainer on AI benchmarks covers what a score does and does not tell you, and our guide to reasoning models explains the reasoning effort settings.
What Safety Information Did OpenAI Publish?
OpenAI published a system card addendum on the same day. Under its Preparedness Framework, OpenAI says it is treating GPT-6.1 Terra as Critical in cybersecurity and High for biological and chemical capability. It says Terra uses the same safeguards stack as GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra, with probes updated to work with the model.
OpenAI also says Terra is more likely than GPT-5.6 Terra to stay within scope and to disclose limitations and blockers honestly, and that it showed strong resistance to malicious instructions in OpenAI’s prompt-injection tests. On production benchmarks with challenging prompts, the addendum says Terra performs on par with GPT-5.6 Terra, and it notes small regressions in a few categories that it says are not statistically significant. OpenAI adds that its evaluations may differ from production ChatGPT because of differences in system prompts, tools, and other settings.
What Does GPT-6.1 Terra Mean for Marketers and Small Businesses?
The following are our observations. OpenAI has not published results for marketing tasks.
- Look at cost per task, not just price per token. OpenAI’s own pitch is high-volume work at lower cost. If you process invoices, product photos, or support documents, test a sample before switching.
- Visual work is a stated strength. The API page names matching product photos to catalog entries. Ecommerce teams with large catalogs may want to try it on a small batch and check every result.
- Computer use means more agents acting on screens. Models that fill forms and operate apps are what power AI agents. Review what any agent can access before you connect it to business accounts.
- It is not in regular ChatGPT conversations yet. Terra is for Work and Codex, so do not expect your customers’ everyday ChatGPT chats to change today because of this release.
- Test on your own tasks. OpenAI’s factual-error and benchmark figures are its own. Compare outputs against answers you have checked yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GPT-6.1 Terra?
It is an OpenAI model described as fast and efficient, with detailed visual reasoning, precise computer use, and clearer, more natural writing. It is designed for workday tasks and high-volume work.
When was GPT-6.1 Terra released?
OpenAI announced it on October 26, 2026, and said it is rolling out that day to Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex.
How much does GPT-6.1 Terra cost in the API?
Standard pricing is $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. Batch and Flex are 50% lower, Fast mode is 2x, and prompts over 272K input tokens cost more.
Can I use GPT-6.1 Terra in regular ChatGPT conversations?
Not according to OpenAI’s help center. It lists GPT-6.1 Terra as a model for ChatGPT Work and Codex, not regular ChatGPT conversations.
How is Terra different from GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra?
OpenAI positions Terra as the fast, lower-cost option and says its standard API prices are 50% lower than GPT-6.1 Sol. OpenAI says Sol and Astra remain the better choice for the most complex coding tasks.
Does GPT-6.1 Terra support fine-tuning, audio, or video?
According to the API page, fine-tuning is not supported, and audio and video are not supported. Terra accepts image input and produces text.
Sources: OpenAI: Introducing GPT-6.1 Terra, OpenAI API: GPT-6.1 Terra model page, OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Work and Codex, OpenAI: Addendum to GPT-6 Astra System Card, GPT-6.1 Terra, ChatGPT on X, October 26, 2026. Benchmark figures are OpenAI’s own. Pricing and availability can change.
About the author
Kai Williams
Kai Williams has been in marketing for years, with a long background in SEO before AEO had a name. He stepped into Answer Engine Optimization the moment AI started reshaping how people search, and has been tracking the shift ever since. At Prompt Insider, he covers AEO, AI marketing, and the future of search, breaking down what is changing and what brands need to do about it.
