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© 2026 CompareLLM. Public benchmark data aggregated from Arena Elo, LiveBench, SWE-bench & OpenRouter.

Every score has a dated snapshot.

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  2. Comparisons
  3. GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5 mini

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5 mini benchmark

In this head-to-head showdown, GPT-5.6 Sol delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,608 vs 1,410), while GPT-5.6 Sol leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (77.6%), while GPT-5 mini is more budget-friendly at $2/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.

Executive Comparison Verdict

Bottom Line: Choose GPT-5.6 Sol if your priority is peak reasoning, complex code generation, and top preference Elo. Choose GPT-5 mini if you are optimizing for low latency, high throughput, and cost-efficient API deployment.
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Verified Head-to-Head Advantage Breakdown

10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost

GPT-5.6 Sol (6)GPT-5 mini (4)
GPT-5.6 Sol
6 of 10 Wins
✓Preference Elo✓Coding Elo✓LiveBench✓SWE-bench✓GPQA Diamond✓Context window
GPT-5 mini
4 of 10 Wins
✓Time to first token✓Output speed✓Input price✓Output price
OpenAI
Leads 6 of 10 metrics
GPT-5.6 Sol

OpenAI 5.6 flagship tier. Official API $5/$30 per 1M tokens (OpenAI pricing, Jul 30 2026 update left Sol unchanged).

Elo 1,608$30/1M out
OpenAI
Leads 4 of 10 metrics
GPT-5 mini

Cost-efficient GPT-5 distill for high-volume agents.

Mini DistillElo 1,410$2/1M out

GPT-5.6 Series Lineage & Sibling Variants

3 models

Currently comparing GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5 mini. Alternative family tiers available.

Active: GPT-5.6 Sol
GPT-5.6 Terra$12GPT-5.6 Luna$1.2

GPT-5.6 Sol Thinking Depth & Cost Scaler

Model A

Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost

Mode: Medium (Standard)

Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.

Thinking Delay
270 ms
Standard speed
Reasoning Depth
~1,500
Internal tokens
Cost / 1k Calls
$56.50
4.9× standard bill
Accuracy Boost
+4.5% accuracy
STEM & SWE-bench
Top Rival Showdowns for GPT-5.6 Sol
All Matchups
Compare vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Gemini 3 Provs Grok 4.6vs DeepSeek V4 Provs Qwen 3 Max
Preference LeaderGPT-5.6 Sol Wins

GPT-5.6 Sol

Δ 198 Arena Elo pts

Throughput LeaderGPT-5 mini Wins

GPT-5 mini

155 tok/s

Value per Dollar LeaderGPT-5 mini Wins

GPT-5 mini

$2 / 1M output

Capability Percentiles

Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Leaders Matchup Capability Radar

Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Head-to-Head Comparison

Overall Matchup Breakdown

Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.

GPT-5.6 Sol (6)vsGPT-5 mini (4)
GPT-5.6 Sol: 6W (60%)Overall: GPT-5.6 SolGPT-5 mini: 4W (40%)
← GPT-5.6 SolGPT-5 mini →
🏆GPT-5.6 Sol(5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 SolvsGPT-5 mini
Preference Elo
1,608vs1,410+198
Coding Elo
1,602vs1,395+207
SWE-bench
77.6%vs52.4%+25.2%
LiveBench
73.9%vs61.2%+12.7%
GPQA Diamond
86.8%vs72%+14.8%
GPT-5.6 Sol: 5WGPT-5 mini: 0W
🏆GPT-5 mini(2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 SolvsGPT-5 mini
Output speed
84 tok/svs155 tok/s+71 tok/s
Time to first token
270 msvs140 ms+130 ms
GPT-5.6 Sol: 0WGPT-5 mini: 2W
🏆GPT-5 mini(2/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 SolvsGPT-5 mini
Output price
$30/1Mvs$2/1M+$28/1M
Input price
$5/1Mvs$0.25/1M+$4.75/1M
Context window
1Mvs400k+600k
GPT-5.6 Sol: 1WGPT-5 mini: 2W

Side-by-Side Benchmark Matrix

Preference Elo+198
GPT-5.6 Sol1,608
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini1,410
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Coding Elo+207
GPT-5.6 Sol1,602
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini1,395
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
LiveBench+12.7%
GPT-5.6 Sol73.9%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini61.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
SWE-bench+25.2%
GPT-5.6 Sol77.6%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini52.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
GPQA Diamond+14.8%
GPT-5.6 Sol86.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini72%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Time to first token+130 ms
GPT-5.6 Sol270 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini140 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output speed+71 tok/s
GPT-5.6 Sol84 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini155 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Input price+$4.75/1M
GPT-5.6 Sol$5/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini$0.25/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output price+$28/1M
GPT-5.6 Sol$30/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini$2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Context window+600k
GPT-5.6 Sol1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
GPT-5 mini400k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
BenchmarkGPT-5.6 SolGPT-5 miniAdvantage Delta
Preference Elo
1,608
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
1,410
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+198
Coding Elo
1,602
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
1,395
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+207
LiveBench
73.9%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
61.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+12.7%
SWE-bench
77.6%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
52.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+25.2%
GPQA Diamond
86.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
72%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+14.8%
Time to first token
270 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
140 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+130 ms
Output speed
84 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
155 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+71 tok/s
Input price
$5/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
$0.25/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$4.75/1M
Output price
$30/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
$2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$28/1M
Context window
1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
400k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+600k
Interactive Simulator (USD)

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).

Save up to 94% with GPT-5 mini
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-5.6 Sol$625.00 / mo
In: $175Out: $450
GPT-5 mini$38.75 / mo
In: $8.75Out: $30
Estimated Cost Delta

GPT-5 mini is estimated to save $586.25/month ($7,035/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    GPT-5.6 Sol:Pick GPT-5.6 Sol when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when you are optimizing output cost.
  • 3
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsGPT-5.6 Sol

Higher SWE-bench (77.6%).

High-volume chatGPT-5 mini

Lower output list price ($2/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 mini

Lower TTFT (140 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 Sol

Larger window (1M).

Screenshots / visionGPT-5.6 Sol

Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (GPT-5.6 Sol).

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsGPT-5.6 SolHigher SWE-bench (77.6%).
High-volume chatGPT-5 miniLower output list price ($2/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 miniLower TTFT (140 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 SolLarger window (1M).
Screenshots / visionGPT-5.6 SolBoth accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (GPT-5.6 Sol).

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
compareAug 12, 2026

Grok vs ChatGPT: price and Elo, not a personality contest

Brand hub remaps to top xAI vs top OpenAI. After Aug 12 that is Grok 4.6 vs Sol.

compareJul 24, 2026

Claude vs GPT benchmark: this hub always remaps to the current Elo leaders

Not a frozen 2025 article. Today that is usually Opus 5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol. Dated cells, not a brand fight.

compareJul 16, 2026

Gemini vs GPT: long context versus the OpenAI flagship invoice

Hub remaps to top Google vs top OpenAI Elo. Usually 3.6 Pro vs Sol. Window vs price is the plot.

launchJul 9, 2026

GPT-5.6 Sol: OpenAI’s $5/$30 flagship tier on this leaderboard

Jul 9 2026 family; Jul 30 price update left Sol unchanged. This is the GPT side of Claude vs GPT.

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CompareLLM AI Matrix

Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry

LIVE BENCHMARK
VS
OpenAI

GPT-5.6 Sol

Elo 1,608
SWE-bench77.6%
Speed (tok/s)84 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$5/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$30/1M
OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Elo 1,410
SWE-bench52.4%
Speed (tok/s)155 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$0.25/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$2/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-5.6 Sol or GPT-5 mini?
GPT-5.6 Sol has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,608). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-5.6 Sol or GPT-5 mini?
GPT-5.6 Sol leads SWE-bench at 77.6% vs 52.4%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
GPT-5 mini output tokens are $2/1M versus $30/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-5.6 Sol or GPT-5 mini?
GPT-5 mini has the lower time-to-first-token (140 ms vs 270 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5.6 Sol accepts 1M tokens versus 400k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5 mini Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • compare · Aug 12, 2026

    Grok vs ChatGPT: price and Elo, not a personality contest

  • compare · Jul 24, 2026

    Claude vs GPT benchmark: this hub always remaps to the current Elo leaders

  • compare · Jul 16, 2026

    Gemini vs GPT: long context versus the OpenAI flagship invoice

  • launch · Jul 9, 2026

    GPT-5.6 Sol: OpenAI’s $5/$30 flagship tier on this leaderboard

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-5.6 Sol matchups →|All GPT-5 mini matchups →
GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5 (previous gpt-flagship)GPT-5 mini vs OpenAI o3-mini (previous gpt-mini)GPT-5 mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna (next gpt-mini)OpenAI o3-mini vs GPT-5.6 SolGPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-5.6 SolGPT-4.5 Orion vs GPT-5.6 Sol