Head to head · October 2026
GPT-6.1 Sol vs GPT-5.5 API pricing
GPT-6.1 Sol costs 2.8 times less per token at an 80/20 mix. Input costs 2.5x more on GPT-5.5. Output costs 3.0x more on GPT-5.5.
OpenAI
GPT-6.1 Sol
General assistants and agents at mid-tier cost.
- Vendor
- OpenAI
- Type
- Frontier
- SayGM in / out
- $1.49 / $7.45
- OpenRouter in / out
- $2.11 / $10.55
- Blended, 80/20
- $2.682
- Per 100M tokens
- $268
- Output share of bill
- 56%
- SayGM vs OpenRouter
- 29% lower
OpenAI
GPT-5.5
Reasoning-heavy tasks, research agents.
- Vendor
- OpenAI
- Type
- Frontier
- SayGM in / out
- $3.73 / $22.35
- OpenRouter in / out
- $5.28 / $31.65
- Blended, 80/20
- $7.454
- Per 100M tokens
- $745
- Output share of bill
- 60%
- SayGM vs OpenRouter
- 29% lower
§ 01
Monthly bill at three usage levels
Both models on SayGM. The bars show how the price ratio turns into dollars as volume grows.
- GPT-6.1 Sol on SayGM
- GPT-5.5 on SayGM
Show data as a table
| GPT-6.1 Sol on SayGM | GPT-5.5 on SayGM | |
|---|---|---|
| Side project (5M in · 1M out) | $15 | $41 |
| Production app (50M in · 15M out) | $186 | $522 |
| High volume (500M in · 100M out) | $1,490 | $4,100 |
§ 02
Verdict
A common pattern is to send routine requests to GPT-6.1 Sol and escalate to GPT-5.5 on failure or low confidence. On one key, that is a model name change per request rather than a second provider account.
§ 03
Per-token prices
OpenRouter figures include its 5.5% top-up fee.
| Model | SayGMin / out | OpenRouterin / out, fee incl. | SayGM vs OpenRouter80/20 blend |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6.1 SolOpenAI | $1.49 / $7.45 | $2.11 / $10.55 | 29% lower |
| GPT-5.5OpenAI | $3.73 / $22.35 | $5.28 / $31.65 | 29% lower |
§ 04
GPT-6.1 Sol vs GPT-5.5 questions
Which is cheaper, GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-5.5?
GPT-6.1 Sol is about 2.8 times cheaper than GPT-5.5 at an 80/20 input to output mix on SayGM, as of October 2026.
How much do GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-5.5 cost on OpenRouter?
Including the 5.5 percent top-up fee, GPT-6.1 Sol costs $2.11 input and $11 output per million tokens, and GPT-5.5 costs $5.28 and $32.
Can I use GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-5.5 with one API key?
Yes. SayGM serves both through their native APIs on a single key, so simple tasks can go to GPT-6.1 Sol and hard ones to GPT-5.5, or both can run in a cascade model.
§ 05