OpenAI has released GPT-6.1 Terra, a cheaper model tier for image-aware reasoning, computer-use workflows, and general text tasks. The model is live in the API as gpt-6.1-terra, and OpenAI says Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users can also access it through ChatGPT Work and Codex.
Per the OpenAI announcement, Terra is priced at $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. Using OpenAI’s listed GPT-5.6 Terra rates as the comparison point, that moves input pricing from $2 to $1 per million tokens and output pricing from $12 to $5.
That pricing shift is the practical story for builders: teams running high-volume agents or long-context automations now have a lower-cost OpenAI option to benchmark before changing routing rules. Terra also takes text and image inputs, while tool use still depends on OpenAI’s Responses API.
The launch does not settle model quality on its own, so the real test is whether Terra holds up on your workload at the new price. For shops already paying for heavy output usage, the output drop may matter even more than the input cut.