Model Comparison
GPT-5.1 High vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601Which is better in 2026?
GPT-5.1 High has a slight edge in benchmark performance. LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is 6.5x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-5.1 High vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 — which is better?
GPT-5.1 High (by OpenAI) and LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 (by Meituan) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
GPT-5.1 High outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.1 High has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is roughly 6.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 High also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-5.1 High if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
Choose LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.5x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.1 High outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.1 High has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.1 High ($1.25/1M tokens) is 4.2x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 High ($10.00/1M tokens) is 8.3x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 High is more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.1 High accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-5.1 High supports multimodal inputs, whereas LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 does not.
GPT-5.1 High can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-5.1 High
LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 High is licensed under a proprietary license, while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5.1 High was released on 2025-11-12, while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 was released on 2026-01-14.
LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is 2 months newer than GPT-5.1 High.
Nov 12, 2025
8 months ago
Jan 14, 2026
6 months ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GPT-5.1 High is available from OpenAI. LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is available from Meituan.
GPT-5.1 High
LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-5.1 High
View detailsOpenAI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 High and LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 High vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601.