# OpenAI releases GPT-6.1 Sol, priced one-fifth of GPT-6 Astra

Digest AI · Generative AI & Models · published 2026-10-02T03:56:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/openai-releases-gpt-6-1-sol-priced-one-fifth-of-gpt-6-astra

## Summary

OpenAI announced the release of GPT‑6.1 Sol, an updated version of GPT‑6 Sol that aims to match the performance of GPT‑6 Astra in agentic coding and professional work. The company highlighted that the standard API text pricing for GPT‑6 Astra is $10 per 1 million tokens for input, $1 for cached input, and $50 for output, while GPT‑6.1 Sol is priced at $2 for input, $0.10 for cached input, and $10 for output. This makes Sol one‑fifth the cost of Astra for standard input and output without caching, though cached input is one‑tenth.

The article cautions that unit price alone does not determine total cost. It notes that factors such as error identification, rework, and decision‑making delays can affect overall expense. OpenAI recommends evaluating tasks based on four criteria—instruction vagueness, loss significance, task repetition, and verification time—to decide whether to use Sol, Astra, or Luna for routine work.

The release is positioned as a cost‑effective option for daily tasks while reserving the higher‑performance Astra for high‑stakes scenarios. Users are advised to review the official OpenAI terms and pricing pages before adopting the new model.

## Key points

- OpenAI releases GPT‑6.1 Sol, priced one‑fifth of GPT‑6 Astra for standard input and output
- GPT‑6.1 Sol costs $2 input, $0.10 cached input, $10 output per 1 million tokens
- Total cost depends on error rates, rework, and decision‑making delays, not just unit price

## Why it matters

The pricing structure gives businesses a cheaper alternative for routine AI tasks while still enabling access to higher‑performance models for critical work, potentially lowering overall AI spend.

## Sources

1. [Is GPT-6.1 Sol an alternative to Astra? Employees should not choose based solely on 'one-fifth the price'](https://note.com/purpleye/n/n62547bb8b757?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-10-02)

Part of the developing story: [Anthropic and OpenAI Battle for AI Market Dominance](https://digestai.news/thread/claude-opus-5-5-costs-60-less-than-fable-5-1-for-writing-tasks) (8 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "OpenAI releases GPT-6.1 Sol, priced one-fifth of GPT-6 Astra", 2 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/openai-releases-gpt-6-1-sol-priced-one-fifth-of-gpt-6-astra

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