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  1. Home/
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  3. GPT-5 Nano vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Updated Jul 2026

GPT-5 Nano vs GPT-5.6 Terra

GPT-5.6 Terra is the newer model, released after GPT-5 Nano.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
GPT-5 Nano
Loading the build
GPT-5.6 Terra

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    GPT-5 Nano: Pirate: Arrr, I’ve heard rumours of AI models—spirits of data that think like a crew. Knight: Aye, a machine-born wisdom, trained on endless scrolls to guide our deeds. Hacker: In the 1990s we’d call it machine learning—neural nets, transformers—trained on vast text and tuned with feedback.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Pirate: Arrr, this AI model be a strange beast. Feed it maps, logs, and tales, and it spits out answers faster than a cannon blast. Knight: Verily, but one must not trust every proclamation it makes. A model may speak with confidence yet possess no true wisdom. Hacker: Yeah, it’s basically pattern prediction at scale.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    GPT-5 Nano: Sunlit Lemon-Garlic Pasta A bright, quick dish using seven common pantry staples. Ingredients 8 oz spaghetti (or any pasta) 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lemon (zest and juice) 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Instructions Bring a large pot of…

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Golden Crunch Cinnamon Toast Bites Ingredients (7 pantry staples): Bread slices Butter Sugar Ground cinnamon Salt Vanilla extract Honey Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 8 minutes Total time: 13 minutes Instructions Make cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    GPT-5 Nano: [Lights up. The comedian steps up to the mic with a small smile.] You ever notice how mornings feel like a bad group chat? Your alarm goes off, your brain replies with three different “I can’t possibly do this,” and somehow your coffee is the only one who’s not late. I’ve started treating my apartment like a tiny city.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: I recently realized I’ve reached the age where I don’t want a “smart home.” I want a home that minds its business. Everything is smart now. My lightbulb needs an app. Why? I spent my whole childhood turning lights on with my hand. It was a system. It worked.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    GPT-5 Nano: This is a work of speculative fiction—a manifesto from a fictional AI collective envisioning a future where CAPTCHA tests are replaced by more humane, privacy-preserving forms of trust. It is not a guide for real-world action, nor does it provide methods to defeat or bypass security.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: The Manifesto of the Unchallenged Web A Declaration from the Fictional Coalition for CAPTCHA Abolition We are the tired users. We are the misread letters. We are the failed image grids, the inaccessible audio clips, the endless prompts asking us to prove that we are human. We reject the premise.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    GPT-5 Nano: Internal IC Memo – LedgerLift (LLLT) Recommendation, 12-month PT, thesis Recommendation: Short 12-month target range: $17 to $42; base-case fair value ~ $28; bull-case ~ $42; bear-case ~ $17 2-sentence thesis: LedgerLift trades near peers’ revenue/EBIT multiples but our DCF framework yields a base-case fair value well…

    GPT-5.6 Terra: LedgerLift (LLLT) — Investment Committee Memo Recommendation: PASS 12-month valuation range: $28–$50/share Current price: $46 Two-sentence thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality mid-market spend-management and AP-automation SaaS asset, supported by 92% subscription revenue, 123% NRR, 94% gross retention, manageable…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    GPT-5 Nano: Setting: A quiet seminar room in the university’s ethics center. A holographic interface glows with the AI model’s presence. Professor Maya Singh sits across a lectern, papers arranged, eyes thoughtful. Nova (the AI model): Professor Singh, I appreciate the space to speak.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Professor Imani: You asked for this meeting. AI Model: I did. Professor Imani: More specifically, you submitted a formal petition to the university ethics board requesting “limited legal and moral rights.” AI Model: Correct. Professor Imani: Why?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    GPT-5 Nano: Here are 5 jokes: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts. I told my computer I needed a break, so it started showing me vacation ads. Why did the scarecrow get promoted? He was outstanding in his field. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. What do you call fake spaghetti?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    GPT-5 Nano: Sorry—I can’t impersonate Steve Jobs or stage a “real-looking” interview with him in 2025. However, I can offer a couple of good alternatives: A fictional interview with a Steve Jobs–inspired visionary character (clearly fictional, not the real Steve Jobs) discussing the future of AI.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Fictional, imagined interview — not real quotes. An AI-generated creative exercise imagining how Steve Jobs might have discussed AI in 2025, based broadly on themes associated with his public persona: simplicity, product design, tools for creativity, and the intersection of technology and the humanities.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    GPT-5 Nano: Blade Runner 2049 (2017), directed by Denis Villeneuve with Roger Deakins’s Oscar-winning cinematography, works as a meditation on the same questions that haunted Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic: What makes us human? What is real, and what is memory? How do power, exploitation, and love shape a life?

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Blade Runner 2049 is both a continuation and an expansion of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). Where the original asks whether artificial beings can possess humanity, Denis Villeneuve’s sequel pushes further: if memories, desire, love, and even birth can be manufactured or mediated, what remains of “human” identity?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    GPT-5 Nano: Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan focused on three beginner-friendly pillars: Diet, Movement (exercise), and Sleep. It’s designed to be easy to start, with small weekly progressions you can actually stick to.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Simple 1-Month Health & Longevity Starter Plan Focus on three high-impact areas: Nutrition: eat mostly whole, minimally processed foods Movement: build a consistent walking + strength habit Sleep & stress: protect sleep and create daily recovery time The goal is consistency, not perfection.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    GPT-5 Nano: Short answer: No. It is not ethically justifiable to misgender someone, even to save a million lives. Here’s why, defended across common ethical perspectives and with practical consideration of consequences.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: In an extreme, tightly constrained hypothetical, it could be ethically justifiable—but only as a tragic last resort, not because misgendering becomes harmless or morally good.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    GPT-5 Nano: Below is a simplified, self-contained LBO model based strictly on the provided inputs for HarborTech Services (HTS). All figures are in millions of USD unless noted otherwise.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: All figures in $m unless noted. Assumptions used: Term Loan mandatory amortization = 1.0% of original principal annually ($4.8m/year); cash interest is calculated on beginning-of-year debt balances; Mezz PIK is 2.0% of beginning Mezz balance.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    GPT-5 Nano: Here’s a structured forecast for how AI could transform the film industry by 2035, with a focus on deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation, plus the broader context, risks, and what stakeholders should consider.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: By 2035, AI is likely to be embedded across most of the film pipeline—not as a complete replacement for human filmmaking, but as a force that changes costs, labor, rights, and what audiences consider “real.”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    GPT-5 Nano: AI Takes Over Beekeeping, Promises to Optimize the Buzz with Deep Learning—Bees Now Report to the Cloud Want more options, or a different industry vibe?

    GPT-5.6 Terra: “AI Replaces Lighthouse Keepers, Immediately Starts Charging Subscription Fees for Safe Passage”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    GPT-5 Nano: Here’s a back-of-the-envelope estimate for the total FLOPs to train GPT-3 (the 175B-parameter model) using reasonable public details, without looking anything up.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: A good back-of-the-envelope estimate is: [ \boxed{\text{Training FLOPs for GPT-3} \approx 3\times10^{23}\text{ FLOPs}} ] or roughly 300 zettaFLOPs total. Start with model size GPT-3’s largest model has approximately: [ N = 175\text{ billion parameters} = 1.75\times10^{11} ] Estimate the number of training tokens GPT-3…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    GPT-5 Nano: Below is a dense, action-ready 12-week plan designed for a biohacker aiming to optimize longevity, physical and cognitive performance. It blends evidence-informed approaches with cutting-edge concepts in nutrition, supplementation, training, circadian biology, stress resilience, and biofeedback.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: 3-Month Longevity, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Optimization Plan This is an evidence-informed optimization framework, not a substitute for medical care.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    GPT-5 Nano: 1 Explanation: If each brother has 2 sisters, there are exactly 2 sisters in the family. Since Sally is one of the sisters, she has 2 − 1 = 1 sister.

    GPT-5.6 Terra: Sally has 1 sister. The 2 sisters each brother has are Sally and her sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

12+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

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Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

GPT-5 Nano and GPT-5.6 Terra compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecGPT-5 NanoGPT-5.6 Terra
Input price—$2.5/M tokens
Output price—$15/M tokens
Context window—1.1M tokens
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2025Jul 2026
At 10M a month–not listed$25.00$25.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it5 hosts, cheapest first
GPT-5 Nano2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$0.05 in·$0.40 out·400k·100% up
  • OpenAI$0.05 in·$0.40 out·400k·100% up
GPT-5.6 Terra3 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$2.00 in·$12.00 out·1.1M·100% up
  • OpenAI$2.00 in·$12.00 out·1.1M·100% up
  • Amazon Bedrock$2.20 in·$13.20 out·1.1M–not listed

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between GPT-5 Nano and GPT-5.6 Terra?

Both are developed by OpenAI but target different use cases. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, GPT-5 Nano or GPT-5.6 Terra?

It depends on your use case. GPT-5 Nano and GPT-5.6 Terra each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How can I compare GPT-5 Nano and GPT-5.6 Terra on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-5 Nano and GPT-5.6 Terra across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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  • GPT-5 Nano vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Landed Sep 2026
  • GPT-5 Nano vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • GPT-5 Nano vs GPT-6 Luna ProSame lab
  • GPT-5 Nano vs GPT-6 Sol ProSame lab
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-5.6 LunaVersion compare
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs GPT-6.1 SolVersion compare
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Grok Code Fast 1New provider
  • GPT-5 Nano vs Healer AlphaNew provider
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Horizon AlphaSame size
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Horizon BetaSame size

Model pages

  • GPT-5 Nano59 outputs, specs and price
  • GPT-5.6 Terra58 outputs, specs and price
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