Model Comparison
GPT-5.6 Luna vs Llama 4 MaverickWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 4 Maverick is 8.1x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-5.6 Luna vs Llama 4 Maverick — which is better?
GPT-5.6 Luna (by OpenAI) and Llama 4 Maverick (by Meta) 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-5.6 Luna outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU-Pro), while Llama 4 Maverick is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 4 Maverick is roughly 8.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.6 Luna also accepts a larger context window (1,050,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-5.6 Luna if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Llama 4 Maverick if…
- cost matters — it's about 8.1x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.6 Luna outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU-Pro), while Llama 4 Maverick is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.6 Luna ($1.00/1M tokens) is 5.9x more expensive than Llama 4 Maverick ($0.17/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.6 Luna ($6.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Llama 4 Maverick ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Luna is more expensive than Llama 4 Maverick.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.6 Luna accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to Llama 4 Maverick's 1,000,000 tokens. Llama 4 Maverick can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Luna is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.6 Luna and Llama 4 Maverick support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.6 Luna
Llama 4 Maverick
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.6 Luna is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 4 Maverick uses Llama 4 Community License Agreement.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Llama 4 Community License Agreement
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5.6 Luna was released on 2026-07-09, while Llama 4 Maverick was released on 2025-04-05.
GPT-5.6 Luna is 15 months newer than Llama 4 Maverick.
Jul 9, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.3yr newerApr 5, 2025
1.3 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Luna has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while Llama 4 Maverick's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.6 Luna's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without Llama 4 Maverick's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
GPT-5.6 Luna is available from OpenAI. Llama 4 Maverick is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Lambda, Groq, Fireworks, Together, Sambanova.
GPT-5.6 Luna
Llama 4 Maverick
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-5.6 Luna
View detailsOpenAI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.6 Luna and Llama 4 Maverick side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.6 Luna vs Llama 4 Maverick.