GPT-6.1 Sol: one fifth of Astra's price with the same context
GPT-6.1 Sol costs $2 and $10 per million tokens, a fifth of GPT-6 Astra, with a 1,050,000-token context. What is and isn't known.
GPT-6.1 Sol is an OpenAI model introduced on September 29, 2026 that costs one fifth of GPT-6 Astra on the API: $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, versus $10 and $50 for Astra. According to OpenAI, it matches Astra at coding, but Astra remains the more capable of the two.
What GPT-6.1 Sol is
Sol is the budget option in the GPT-6 family. You can already use it on the API under the name gpt-6.1-sol. It isn't the smartest model: it's the one you can actually leave on all day without rationing every query.
Price: GPT-6.1 Sol versus GPT-6 Astra
API prices per million tokens:
| Model | Input | Output | |---|---|---| | GPT-6.1 Sol | $2 | $10 | | GPT-6 Astra | $10 | $50 |
The one-fifth ratio comes from comparing the prices in OpenAI's documentation. It's per-token API pricing, not the ChatGPT subscription.
Context and performance
Both models have a 1,050,000-token context window. On coding, according to OpenAI, Sol matches Astra on the DeepSWE v1.1 benchmark. That's the only claim that doesn't come from the official documentation: VentureBeat and The Next Web cite it as an OpenAI result, so treat it as a vendor figure.
What isn't known
The OpenAI documentation we could open covers the API, so we can't confirm availability inside ChatGPT or on which plan. It's also not confirmed that the Ultrafast tier is available. And we don't claim Sol is better than Astra: Astra remains the most capable.
How to apply it in your business?
When AI gets cheap, you stop rationing it and start using it. Think of tasks you limit today because of cost, like classifying tickets, summarizing documents or reviewing code, and try Sol on them. Run the same tasks on Sol and Astra, compare result and cost, and save the pricier model for what truly needs it. If your team uses agents, also look at ChatGPT dots, which run on GPT-6 Astra.
Frequently asked questions
How much does GPT-6.1 Sol cost?
$2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens on the API.
Is GPT-6.1 Sol better than GPT-6 Astra?
No. According to OpenAI it matches Astra at coding (DeepSWE v1.1), but Astra remains the more capable model.
What context window does GPT-6.1 Sol have?
1,050,000 tokens, the same as Astra.
What is it called in the API?
gpt-6.1-sol.
Is it in ChatGPT?
We can't confirm it: the official source we could open covers only the API.
Conclusion
GPT-6.1 Sol isn't OpenAI's smartest model, but it costs a fifth as much and lets you stop rationing. Before migrating, measure with your own tasks whether it pays off.