Chinese users praise OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 for efficiency, even at higher cost than local rivals

OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.6 release marks a growing emphasis on cost-efficiency, a move welcomed by some users in China who continue to access the blocked service via virtual private networks (VPNs) and third-party proxies, even as the artificial intelligence model remains more expensive than local rivals.

The launch on Thursday introduced a trio of models tailored to different capabilities, speeds and price points: the flagship Sol, the balanced Terra and the lightweight Luna.

According to OpenAI, Terra delivers performance comparable to its predecessor, GPT-5.5, at roughly half the price, while Luna is engineered to offer robust capabilities at low inference cost.

The release signals a broader industry shift towards cost-efficient AI systems designed for enterprise use, said Li Yitao, a Chinese entrepreneur and co-founder of Canada-based AI start-up Quotaflow.

GPT-5.6 Sol is priced at US$5 per million input tokens and US$30 per million output tokens, while Terra costs US$2.50 and US$15, respectively. Luna, the entry-level one, is priced at US$1 for input tokens and US$6 for output tokens.

Despite the price cuts compared with previous products, OpenAI’s flagship and mid-tier models remain more expensive than major rivals from China. Zhipu AI’s GLM-5.2, for instance, charges about US$1.40 per million input tokens and US$4.40 per million output tokens, while DeepSeek V4 is priced at up to US$0.44 per million input tokens and US$0.87 for output.