Model Comparison
GPT-5.6 Terra vs MiniMax M3Which is better in 2026?
GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M3 is 10.7x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-5.6 Terra vs MiniMax M3 — which is better?
GPT-5.6 Terra (by OpenAI) and MiniMax M3 (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 Terra outperforms in 5 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GDPval-AA, MMMU-Pro, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while MiniMax M3 is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, MiniMax M3 is roughly 10.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.6 Terra 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 Terra if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 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 M3 if…
- cost matters — it's about 10.7x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.6 Terra outperforms in 5 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GDPval-AA, MMMU-Pro, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while MiniMax M3 is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.6 Terra ($2.50/1M tokens) is 8.3x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.6 Terra ($15.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Terra is more expensive than MiniMax M3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.6 Terra accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to MiniMax M3's 512,000 tokens. MiniMax M3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Terra is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.6 Terra and MiniMax M3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.6 Terra
MiniMax M3
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.6 Terra is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M3 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-5.6 Terra was released on 2026-07-09, while MiniMax M3 was released on 2026-06-01.
GPT-5.6 Terra is 1 month newer than MiniMax M3.
Jul 9, 2026
1 weeks ago
1mo newerJun 1, 2026
1 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Terra has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while MiniMax M3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.6 Terra's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without MiniMax M3's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
—
Provider Availability
GPT-5.6 Terra is available from OpenAI. MiniMax M3 is available from Fireworks, Novita, Together, MiniMax.
GPT-5.6 Terra
MiniMax M3
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
MiniMax M3
View detailsMiniMax
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.6 Terra and MiniMax M3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
| Feature | | |
|---|
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.6 Terra vs MiniMax M3.