Model Comparison
MAI-Thinking-1 vs GPT-5.6 TerraWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Verdict: MAI-Thinking-1 vs GPT-5.6 Terra — which is better?
MAI-Thinking-1 (by Microsoft) and GPT-5.6 Terra (by OpenAI) 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.
MAI-Thinking-1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Terra is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HealthBench Professional, SWE-Bench Pro). GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Choose MAI-Thinking-1 if…
- you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem
Choose GPT-5.6 Terra if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
MAI-Thinking-1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Terra is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HealthBench Professional, SWE-Bench Pro).
GPT-5.6 Terra significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-5.6 Terra specifies input context (1,050,000 tokens). Only GPT-5.6 Terra specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-5.6 Terra supports multimodal inputs, whereas MAI-Thinking-1 does not.
GPT-5.6 Terra can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
MAI-Thinking-1
GPT-5.6 Terra
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02, while GPT-5.6 Terra was released on 2026-07-09.
GPT-5.6 Terra is 1 month newer than MAI-Thinking-1.
Jun 2, 2026
1 months ago
Jul 9, 2026
1 weeks ago
1mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Terra has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while MAI-Thinking-1'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 MAI-Thinking-1's cutoff date.
—
Feb 2026
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
MAI-Thinking-1
View detailsMicrosoft
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against MAI-Thinking-1 and GPT-5.6 Terra side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about MAI-Thinking-1 vs GPT-5.6 Terra.