GPT-5.6 Terra vs Kimi K3: price, context and capabilities

Choose GPT-5.6 Terra for images as input. Choose Kimi K3 for reasoning over long documents and the latest release.

In short

  • A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price.
  • GPT-5.6 Terra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 1M.
  • Only GPT-5.6 Terra offers vision, structured output, prompt caching, batch api.

Open in the full comparison table

Which should you choose?

Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.

Hardest reasoning tasks

Either one

They are practically level on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (42.1 and 43.6).

Reasoning over long documents

Choose Kimi K3

Kimi K3 scores 88.7% on Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR), against 83% for GPT-5.6 Terra.

Images as input

Choose GPT-5.6 Terra

GPT-5.6 Terra accepts images as input; Kimi K3 does not.

Latest release

Choose Kimi K3

Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 16, 2026, against Jul 9, 2026 for GPT-5.6 Terra).

Specifications side by side

GPT-5.6 TerraKimi K3
ProviderOpenAIMoonshot AI
CategoryLanguage modelsLanguage models
StatusGenerally availableGenerally available
Headline price$4.50 / 1M tokensNo data
Input$2.00 / 1M tokensNo data
Output$12.00 / 1M tokensNo data
Cached input$0.20 / 1M tokensNo data
Context window1.05M1M
Max output128kNo data
ReleasedJul 9, 2026Jul 16, 2026
Knowledge cutoffFebruary 2026No data
LicenceProprietaryProprietary
CapabilitiesVision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch APIReasoning, Tool calling
API model idgpt-5.6-terrakimi-k3

Benchmarks side by side

Leader in bold.

BenchmarkGPT-5.6 TerraKimi K3
Intelligence Index 42.1 43.6
SciCode 55% 59.5%
GPQA Diamond 92.5% 93.5%
Humanity's Last Exam 42.9% 46.9%
MMMU-Pro (visual reasoning) 80.7% 80.5%
Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) 83% 88.7%
Terminal-Bench Hard 57.6% No data
IFBench (instruction following) 71.2% No data
τ²-Bench (agentic tool use) 86.3% No data

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-5.6 Terra or Kimi K3?

Choose GPT-5.6 Terra for images as input. Choose Kimi K3 for reasoning over long documents and the latest release.

Which is cheaper, GPT-5.6 Terra or Kimi K3?

A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price.

Which has the larger context window, GPT-5.6 Terra or Kimi K3?

GPT-5.6 Terra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 1M.

What is the difference between GPT-5.6 Terra and Kimi K3?

GPT-5.6 Terra is made by OpenAI and Kimi K3 by Moonshot AI. A price comparison is not possible: one of them has no comparable published price. GPT-5.6 Terra reads more per request: 1.05M tokens against 1M. Only GPT-5.6 Terra offers vision, structured output, prompt caching, batch api.

Which is newer, GPT-5.6 Terra or Kimi K3?

Kimi K3 was released on Jul 16, 2026 and GPT-5.6 Terra on Jul 9, 2026.