Model Comparison

GPT-5.6 Luna vs MiniMax M2.5Which is better in 2026?

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M2.5 is 4.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-5.6 Luna vs MiniMax M2.5 — which is better?

GPT-5.6 Luna (by OpenAI) and MiniMax M2.5 (by MiniMax) 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 (BrowseComp, SWE-Bench Pro), while MiniMax M2.5 is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, MiniMax M2.5 is roughly 4.3x 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 MiniMax M2.5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 4.3x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GPT-5.6 Luna outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, SWE-Bench Pro), while MiniMax M2.5 is better at 0 benchmarks.

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M2.5 costs less

For input processing, GPT-5.6 Luna ($1.00/1M tokens) is 3.3x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5.6 Luna ($6.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($1.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Luna is more expensive than MiniMax M2.5.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Luna
Input tokens$1.00
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerOpenAI
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5.6 Luna accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to MiniMax M2.5's 1,000,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.5 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Luna is limited to 128,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Luna
Input1,050,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-5.6 Luna supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.5 does not.

GPT-5.6 Luna can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GPT-5.6 Luna

Text
Images
Audio
Video

MiniMax M2.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-5.6 Luna is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2.5 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

GPT-5.6 Luna

Proprietary

Closed source

MiniMax M2.5

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5.6 Luna was released on 2026-07-09, while MiniMax M2.5 was released on 2026-02-12.

GPT-5.6 Luna is 5 months newer than MiniMax M2.5.

GPT-5.6 Luna

Jul 9, 2026

2 weeks ago

4mo newer
MiniMax M2.5

Feb 12, 2026

5 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5.6 Luna has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while MiniMax M2.5'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 MiniMax M2.5's cutoff date.

GPT-5.6 Luna

Feb 2026

MiniMax M2.5

Provider Availability

GPT-5.6 Luna is available from OpenAI. MiniMax M2.5 is available from MiniMax.

GPT-5.6 Luna

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M

MiniMax M2.5

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Larger context window (1,050,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher BrowseComp score (83.3% vs 76.3%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (62.7% vs 55.4%)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5.6 Luna and MiniMax M2.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5.6 Luna
✓ Preferred
MiniMax M2.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Luna
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5.6 Luna vs MiniMax M2.5.

Which is better, GPT-5.6 Luna or MiniMax M2.5?

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-5.6 Luna is made by OpenAI and MiniMax M2.5 is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GPT-5.6 Luna compare to MiniMax M2.5 in benchmarks?

GPT-5.6 Luna scores Connectors: 99.9%, HealthBench Consensus: 95.1%, GPQA: 92.3%, Search and Function-Calling: 89.7%, Capture-the-Flag Challenges (Internal): 85.2%. MiniMax M2.5 scores SWE-Bench Verified: 80.2%, BFCL_v3_MultiTurn: 76.8%, BrowseComp: 76.3%, MEWC: 74.4%, GDPval-MM: 59.0%.

Is GPT-5.6 Luna cheaper than MiniMax M2.5?

MiniMax M2.5 is 3.3x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-5.6 Luna costs $1.00/M input and $6.00/M output via openai. MiniMax M2.5 costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5.6 Luna and MiniMax M2.5?

GPT-5.6 Luna supports 1.1M tokens and MiniMax M2.5 supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-5.6 Luna and MiniMax M2.5?

Key differences include context window (1.1M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($1.00 vs $0.30/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-5.6 Luna and MiniMax M2.5?

GPT-5.6 Luna is developed by OpenAI and MiniMax M2.5 is developed by MiniMax.