OpenAI releases GPT-6.1 Terra

OpenAI's API changelog for 26 October 2026 says it released GPT-6.1 Terra, model id gpt-6.1-terra. The launch post calls it a fast model for detailed visual reasoning, computer use, and clearer writing, and a step up from GPT-5.6 Terra. Standard API prices in that post are $1 per million input tokens, $0.05 per million cached input tokens, and $5 per million output tokens. OpenAI says those standard prices are 50% lower than GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-6.1 Sol. The model page says inputs are text and image, output is text, the context window is 1,050,000 tokens, and tool calling, including computer use, requires the Responses API.

The launch post says GPT-6.1 Terra is available to Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex. OpenAI says the same usage allowance covers more tasks than with GPT-5.6 Terra, and substantially more than with GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Astra. It also says GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra remain the better choice for the most complex coding tasks. The post says the model meets the Critical threshold in cybersecurity under OpenAI's Preparedness Framework.

GitHub's changelog the same day says GPT-6.1 Terra is generally available in GitHub Copilot for Pro, Pro+, Max, Business, and Enterprise, with a gradual rollout. GitHub says early testing solved noticeably more terminal and C# coding tasks than GPT-5.6 Terra, and that the model is billed at provider list pricing under usage-based billing. It can be selected in VS Code, Visual Studio, Copilot CLI, the Copilot cloud agent, the Copilot app, github.com, GitHub Mobile, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, and Eclipse. Business and Enterprise admins manage it in the Copilot model policy. New models are enabled by default unless an admin has turned off that default or disabled this model. That note is the Copilot changelog (opens in a new tab).

Who it's for: a Plus, Pro, Enterprise, or Edu user in ChatGPT Work or Codex, an API caller who wants gpt-6.1-terra, or a Copilot subscriber once the model shows in the picker.

Fits: Best for Vibe Coding stays Cursor, then Claude Code, then Codex, then Copilot. Terra is another model inside Codex and Copilot. OpenAI still points the hardest coding at GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Astra, and the in-editor edit loop is unchanged. Best for Writing stays Claude. The Chat tab models in that verdict are not this Work and Codex release. The verdicts are unchanged.