GPT-6.1 Terra: a reported cheap new tier in OpenAI's model line
From the AI digest for Oct 27, 2026
What happened: Two Japanese-language tech essays published overnight on note.com describe a new OpenAI model, GPT-6.1 Terra, released Oct 26 and priced at $1 and $5 per million tokens — a two-price slot the coverage reads as a deliberately low-cost option, framed around the question of whether most work actually needs the most expensive AI. A second, fuller explainer positions Terra alongside GPT-6.1 Sol, which the author says has been available for some time, and against the flagship Astra tier, promising a point-by-point comparison of features, pricing and usage.
What's genuinely new: the Terra name itself, its Oct 26 release date, and the $1/$5-per-million-tokens pricing — the first appearance of Terra anywhere in the model-line coverage, which until now has centered on GPT-6 Astra (launched Sept 3) and the GPT-6.1 Sol tier, with a September "GPT-6.1 Astra" model name that was never confirmed. The comparison framework (Terra vs Sol vs Astra) is also new.
Watch: OpenAI's own announcement and pricing page — the release date and both prices are so far sourced only from commentary, and it is not established which of the two prices is input and which is output; independent benchmarks; and whether Terra turns up in third-party surfaces the way Sol did (OpenClaw, Codex, Perplexity).
Sources note — phiroq3v3 note — kazu_t