High-volume, cost-sensitive work
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra costs 65% less on a typical mix of three input tokens for every output token ($20.00 against $57.75 per million tokens).
GPT-5.2 Pro 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, 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 65% cheaper than GPT-5.2 Pro at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $57.75 / 1M tokens).
- GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 400k.
- GPT-6 Astra is the newer model (Sep 3, 2026, against Dec 11, 2025).
- Only GPT-6 Astra offers 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 $168.00 for GPT-5.2 Pro. 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 400k for GPT-5.2 Pro.
Latest release
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra is the newer release (Sep 3, 2026, against Dec 11, 2025 for GPT-5.2 Pro).
Most recent knowledge
Choose GPT-6 Astra
GPT-6 Astra was trained on data up to April 2026, against August 2025 for GPT-5.2 Pro.
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | GPT-5.2 Pro | GPT-6 Astra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype: 1M input, 250K output tokens | $63.00 | $22.50 | GPT-6 Astra, $40.50 less |
| Production: 20M input, 5M output tokens | $1,260 | $450.00 | GPT-6 Astra, $810.00 less |
| Scale: 500M input, 100M output tokens | $27,300 | $10,000 | GPT-6 Astra, $17,300 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| GPT-5.2 Pro | GPT-6 Astra | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Category | Language models | Language models |
| Status | Legacy | Generally available |
| Headline price | $57.75 / 1M tokens | $20.00 / 1M tokens |
| Input | $21.00 / 1M tokens | $10.00 / 1M tokens |
| Output | $168 / 1M tokens | $50.00 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input | No data | $1.00 / 1M tokens |
| Context window | 400k | 1.05M |
| Max output | 128k | 128k |
| Released | Dec 11, 2025 | Sep 3, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | August 2025 | April 2026 |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Batch API | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch API |
| API model id | gpt-5.2-pro | gpt-6-astra |
Benchmarks side by side
Leader in bold.
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | GPT-6 Astra |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Index | No data | 52.7 |
| SciCode | No data | 56.5% |
| GPQA Diamond | No data | 96.1% |
| 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-5.2 Pro or GPT-6 Astra?
Choose GPT-6 Astra for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation, very long inputs, 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-5.2 Pro or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra is 65% cheaper than GPT-5.2 Pro at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $57.75 / 1M tokens).
Which has the larger context window, GPT-5.2 Pro or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 400k.
What is the difference between GPT-5.2 Pro and GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-5.2 Pro is made by OpenAI and GPT-6 Astra by OpenAI. GPT-6 Astra is 65% cheaper than GPT-5.2 Pro at the headline price ($20.00 / 1M tokens vs $57.75 / 1M tokens). GPT-6 Astra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 400k. GPT-6 Astra is the newer model (Sep 3, 2026, against Dec 11, 2025). Only GPT-6 Astra offers prompt caching.
How much do GPT-5.2 Pro and GPT-6 Astra cost per month?
At 20 million input and 5 million output tokens a month, GPT-5.2 Pro costs $1,260 and GPT-6 Astra costs $450.00, at standard rates.
Which is newer, GPT-5.2 Pro or GPT-6 Astra?
GPT-6 Astra was released on Sep 3, 2026 and GPT-5.2 Pro on Dec 11, 2025.