High-volume, cost-sensitive work
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra costs 47% less on a typical mix of three input tokens for every output token ($20.00 against $37.50 per million tokens).
GPT-4 vs GPT-6 Astra: price, context and capabilities
Choose GPT-6 Astra for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation, very long inputs, images as input, the latest release and the most recent knowledge; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
In short
- GPT-6 Astra is 47% cheaper than GPT-4 at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $37.50 / 1M tokens).
- GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 8k.
- GPT-6 Astra is the newer model (Sep 3, 2026, against March 2023).
- Only GPT-6 Astra offers vision, reasoning, prompt caching.
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Writing and code generation
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra charges $50.00 per million output tokens, against $60.00 for GPT-4. Output dominates the bill when answers are long.
Very long inputs
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra reads up to 1.05M tokens per request, against 8k for GPT-4.
Images as input
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra accepts images as input; GPT-4 does not.
Latest release
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra is the newer release (Sep 3, 2026, against March 2023 for GPT-4).
Most recent knowledge
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra was trained on data up to April 2026, against December 2023 for GPT-4.
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | GPT-4 | GPT-6 Astra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype: 1M input, 250K output tokens | $45.00 | $22.50 | GPT-6 Astra, $22.50 less |
| Production: 20M input, 5M output tokens | $900.00 | $450.00 | GPT-6 Astra, $450.00 less |
| Scale: 500M input, 100M output tokens | $21,000 | $10,000 | GPT-6 Astra, $11,000 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| GPT-4 | GPT-6 Astra | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Category | Language models | Language models |
| Status | Deprecated | Generally available |
| Headline price | $37.50 / 1M tokens | $20.00 / 1M tokens |
| Input | $30.00 / 1M tokens | $10.00 / 1M tokens |
| Output | $60.00 / 1M tokens | $50.00 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input | No data | $1.00 / 1M tokens |
| Context window | 8k | 1.05M |
| Max output | 8k | 128k |
| Released | March 2023 | Sep 3, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | December 2023 | April 2026 |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Tool calling, Structured output, Batch API | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch API |
| API model id | gpt-4 | gpt-6-astra |
Benchmarks side by side
Leader in bold.
| Benchmark | GPT-4 | GPT-6 Astra |
|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond | 34.9% | 96.1% |
| IFBench (instruction following) | 33.2% | No data |
| Intelligence Index | No data | 52.7 |
| SciCode | No data | 56.5% |
| Humanity's Last Exam | No data | 54.7% |
| MMMU-Pro (visual reasoning) | No data | 86.9% |
| Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) | No data | 80.7% |
Independent evaluations by Artificial Analysis, run the same way for every model, at the reasoning setting shown. Percentages unless marked as an index.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose GPT-4 or GPT-6 Astra?
Choose GPT-6 Astra for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation, very long inputs, images as input, the latest release and the most recent knowledge; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
Which is cheaper, GPT-4 or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra is 47% cheaper than GPT-4 at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $37.50 / 1M tokens).
Which has the larger context window, GPT-4 or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 8k.
What is the difference between GPT-4 and GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-4 is made by OpenAI and GPT-6 Astra by OpenAI. GPT-6 Astra is 47% cheaper than GPT-4 at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $37.50 / 1M tokens). GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 8k. GPT-6 Astra is the newer model (Sep 3, 2026, against March 2023). Only GPT-6 Astra offers vision, reasoning, prompt caching.
How much do GPT-4 and GPT-6 Astra cost per month?
At 20 million input and 5 million output tokens a month, GPT-4 costs $900.00 and GPT-6 Astra costs $450.00, at standard rates.
Which is newer, GPT-4 or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra was released on Sep 3, 2026 and GPT-4 on March 2023.