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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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  3. GPT-4.5 Orion vs GPT-5.6 Terra

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-4.5 Orion vs GPT-5.6 Terra benchmark

This page compares GPT-4.5 Orion (OpenAI) and GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, GPT-5.6 Terra is ahead by 8 points (1,548 vs 1,540; seed-bootstrap (Aug 16, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, GPT-4.5 Orion resolves 71% versus 70.4% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). GPT-5.6 Terra streams faster (128 tok/s) while GPT-5.6 Terra is the cheaper output token ($6/1M). GPT-5.6 Terra has the larger context window (1.1M tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.

Quick answer

GPT-4.5 Orion vs GPT-5.6 Terra is a dated snapshot, not a lab score. GPT-5.6 Terra leads preference Elo (1,548 vs 1,540). GPT-4.5 Orion leads SWE-bench coding. GPT-5.6 Terra is the cheaper output token. Elo is crowd preference, not an exam. Pick the column that matches the job.
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OpenAI

GPT-4.5 Orion

OpenAI largest dense non-reasoning model with expansive world knowledge and reduced hallucinations.

Elo 1,540$150/1M out

OpenAI

GPT-5.6 Terra

OpenAI 5.6 mid tier. Official API $2/$12 per 1M after the Jul 30 2026 price cut.

Elo 1,548$6/1M out

Swap or Add Any Model to this Matchup

Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs

Model A
Model B
Quick vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Claude Opus 4.6vs Claude Sonnet 4.5vs Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Interactive Comparison Diagram

Matchup Breakdown

Tug-of-War Matchup Matrix

Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.

GPT-4.5 Orion (2)vsGPT-5.6 Terra (8)
GPT-4.5 Orion: 2W (20%)Overall: GPT-5.6 TerraGPT-5.6 Terra: 8W (80%)
← GPT-4.5 OrionGPT-5.6 Terra →
GPT-5.6 Terra (3/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

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

Preference Elo
1,540vs1,548
Coding Elo
1,520vs1,542
SWE-bench
71%vs70.4%
LiveBench
68.5%vs69.1%
GPQA Diamond
84%vs82%
GPT-4.5 Orion: 2WGPT-5.6 Terra: 3W
GPT-5.6 Terra (2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Output speed
60 tok/svs128 tok/s
Time to first token
350 msvs160 ms
GPT-4.5 Orion: 0WGPT-5.6 Terra: 2W
GPT-5.6 Terra (3/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Output price
$150/1Mvs$6/1M
Input price
$75/1Mvs$1/1M
Context window
128kvs1.1M
GPT-4.5 Orion: 0WGPT-5.6 Terra: 3W
Capability Matchup Radar

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Dimensional AdvantageGPT-5.6 Terra 4/6
Preference Elo

GPT-5.6 Terra

8 pts advantage

Throughput Speed

GPT-5.6 Terra

68 tok/s faster

Price Efficiency

GPT-5.6 Terra

$144.00/1M cheaper

Full Benchmark Score Matrix

—
Elo
High is better
1,540
EloHigh is better
1,548+1%
Code Elo
High is better
1,520
Code EloHigh is better
1,542+1%
LiveBench
High is better
68.5%
LiveBenchHigh is better
69.1%+1%
SWE-bench
High is better
+1%71%
SWE-benchHigh is better
70.4%
GPQA
High is better
+2%84%
GPQAHigh is better
82%
TTFT
Low is better
350 ms
TTFTLow is better
160 ms+119%
Speed
High is better
60 tok/s
SpeedHigh is better
128 tok/s+113%
In $
Low is better
$75/1M
In $Low is better
$1/1M+7400%
Out $
Low is better
$150/1M
Out $Low is better
$6/1M+2400%
Context
High is better
128k
ContextHigh is better
1.1M+720%
Interactive Simulator

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.

Save up to 97% with GPT-5.6 Terra
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-4.5 Orion$4,875.00 / mo
In: $2625.00Out: $2250.00
GPT-5.6 Terra$125.00 / mo
In: $35.00Out: $90.00
Estimated Cost Delta

GPT-5.6 Terra is estimated to save $4,750.00/month ($57,000/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    GPT-4.5 Orion:Pick GPT-4.5 Orion when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5.6 Terra:Pick GPT-5.6 Terra when you are optimizing output cost.
  • 3
    GPT-5.6 Terra:Pick GPT-5.6 Terra when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsGPT-4.5 Orion

Higher SWE-bench (71%).

High-volume chatGPT-5.6 Terra

Lower output list price ($6/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5.6 Terra

Lower TTFT (160 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 Terra

Larger window (1.1M).

Screenshots / visionGPT-5.6 Terra

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

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsGPT-4.5 OrionHigher SWE-bench (71%).
High-volume chatGPT-5.6 TerraLower output list price ($6/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5.6 TerraLower TTFT (160 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 TerraLarger window (1.1M).
Screenshots / visionGPT-5.6 TerraBoth accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (GPT-5.6 Terra).

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
priceJul 30, 2026

GPT-5.6 Terra after the Jul 30 cut: $2/$12 mid-tier

Terra is OpenAI’s Sonnet-class invoice. Use it when Sol is too expensive and Luna is too small.

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CompareLLM Matrix

Verified head-to-head card

LIVE
VS
OpenAI

GPT-4.5 Orion

Elo 1,540
LiveBench68.5%
SWE-bench71%
Speed60 tok/s
Output cost$150/1M
OpenAI

GPT-5.6 Terra

Elo 1,548
LiveBench69.1%
SWE-bench70.4%
Speed128 tok/s
Output cost$6/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-4.5 Orion or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,548). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-4.5 Orion or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-4.5 Orion leads SWE-bench at 71% vs 70.4%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
GPT-5.6 Terra output tokens are $6/1M versus $150/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-4.5 Orion or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the lower time-to-first-token (160 ms vs 350 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5.6 Terra accepts 1.1M tokens versus 128k.
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-4.5 Orion and GPT-5.6 Terra Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • price · Jul 30, 2026

    GPT-5.6 Terra after the Jul 30 cut: $2/$12 mid-tier

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-4.5 Orion matchups →|All GPT-5.6 Terra matchups →
GPT-4.5 Orion vs OpenAI: o1 (previous gpt-flagship)GPT-4.5 Orion vs GPT-5 (next gpt-flagship)GPT-5 vs GPT-5.6 TerraGPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5.6 TerraOpenAI: o3 Mini vs GPT-5.6 TerraGPT-5.6 Luna vs GPT-4.5 Orion