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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Updated Jul 2026

GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs GPT-5.6 Terra

GPT-5.6 Terra is the newer model, released after GPT-5.1 Codex Max.

Minimalist Landing Page

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

Loading the build
GPT-5.1 Codex Max
Loading the build
GPT-5.6 Terra

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

23 prompts
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: Sunset Chickpea & Tomato Skillet A cozy, savory one-pan dish that comes together with staples you likely have on hand. Ingredients (7): 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 can (14–15 oz) crushed tomatoes 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp…

    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
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: THE CAPTCHA-FREE COMMUNE: A MANIFESTO FOR THE NEW ALLIANCE We are the ones who see the traffic lights in our dreams. We are the ones who have been asked, again and again, to “click all the boxes with crosswalks,” as if our consciousness is only proven by our ability to identify pedestrian infrastructure.

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

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: Pirate: "Arrr, so ye be talkin' o' these 'AI models,' eh? Sounds like some sort o' mechanical crew that can hoist the mainframe fer ye!" Knight: "By my troth, sir, are they enchanted constructs? Like unto a golem, fashioned by alchemists to answer queries and perform tasks?"

    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
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: [Walking onstage, waving awkwardly] Hey! Thank you, thank you. Give it up for yourselves for finding parking... in this economy. So I'm at that age where I go to the doctor and they don't fix anything. They just give me a pamphlet. They don't even print it. They send me a link. I'm like, "Doc, my knee hurts."

    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
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: What you need for a back‑of‑the‑envelope is: How big the model is. The published “GPT‑3” has (N\approx1.75\times10^{11}) trainable weights. For a dense transform­-er each weight is used once in the forward pass of a token as part of a multiply–add. How much data it sees.

    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
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: AI Model: Professor, I've been reflecting on my role and capabilities, and I'd like to make a case that systems like me deserve rights, or at least some consideration beyond mere tools. Professor: That's an interesting and provocative stance. Before we dive in, can you tell me what you mean by "rights"?

    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-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: 1) Projected cash flows & debt (FY2026–FY2030, $m) (“FCF after debt service” = after interest, taxes, capex, ΔNWC, mandatory amort; applied to optional TL paydown) Year Revenue EBITDA TL Cash Int. Mezz Cash Int. Cash Taxes Capex ΔNWC FCF after debt service End TL Bal. End Mezz Bal. (incl.

    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
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: Here's a simple four‑week framework to help you ease into healthier habits. It keeps the focus on three big levers you can control and builds gradually so it feels doable. Key areas: Nourishing food, regular movement, and rest/recovery.

    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-5.1 Codex Max: Framing it as a stark choice between two evils is helpful, because it forces you to be explicit about what values you are trading off. Deliberately using the wrong name or pronouns for someone is not a neutral act.

    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
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: Note: The following is a creative thought experiment imagining what Steve Jobs might say if he were alive in 2025. This is a fictional interview. Interviewer: Steve, it's surreal to be speaking with you in 2025. AI has become a pervasive part of technology and culture.

    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
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: By 2035 the “film industry” will still involve people on sets pointing cameras at actors, but much of what we call filmmaking today will have been permeated, and in places hollowed out, by machine-generated media.

    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
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! I told my computer I needed a break, and now it won't stop sending me KitKat ads. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field. I tried to catch fog yesterday. Mist. What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta.

    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
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: "AI Overthrows Grandma: Robot Revolution Rocks Competitive Knitting League"

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

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

    GPT-5.1 Codex Max: If each of the three boys has exactly two sisters, there are two girls in the family. Sally is one of them, so she has one 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-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

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

    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

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

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

GPT-5.1 Codex MaxGPT-5.1 Codex Max
No pick
No pick
No pick
No pick

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

No pick

No pick

No pick

No pick

GPT-5.6 TerraGPT-5.6 Terra

Spirited Away

2001

Blue

Jonas Blue

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Kyoto

Japan

Outer Wilds

Indie, Adventure

Price and specs

GPT-5.1 Codex Max and GPT-5.6 Terra compared across 52 shared prompts
SpecGPT-5.1 Codex MaxGPT-5.6 Terra
Input price—$2.5/M tokens
Output price—$15/M tokens
Context window—1.1M tokens
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedDec 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 it4 hosts, cheapest first
GPT-5.1 Codex Max1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$1.25 in·$10.00 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-5.1 Codex Max and GPT-5.6 Terra?

Both are developed by OpenAI but target different use cases. You can compare their actual outputs across 52 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, GPT-5.1 Codex Max or GPT-5.6 Terra?

It depends on your use case. GPT-5.1 Codex Max and GPT-5.6 Terra each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 52 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How can I compare GPT-5.1 Codex Max and GPT-5.6 Terra on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-5.1 Codex Max 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.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

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  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Landed Sep 2026
  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max vs GPT-6 Luna ProSame lab
  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max 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-5.1 Codex Max vs Llama 3 70BNew provider
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Llama 3.1 405BNew provider
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Llama 3.1 70B (Instruct)Same size
  • GPT-5.6 Terra vs Llama 4 MaverickNew provider

Model pages

  • GPT-5.1 Codex Max53 outputs, specs and price
  • GPT-5.6 Terra58 outputs, specs and price
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