Codex Mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna
Pricing verdict: Codex Mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna: GPT-5.6 Luna is cheaper for input-heavy usage ($1.00/M vs $1.50/M input tokens), while GPT-5.6 Luna is better for long-context tasks (1,050,000 tokens).
Direct answer: choose GPT-5.6 Luna for lower token spend and choose GPT-5.6 Luna when your workload needs longer context.
Compare API pricing, input and output token costs, context windows, and monthly estimates on one page so you can pick the right model fast.
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Codex Mini
GPT-5.6 Luna
Cost Differences
GPT-5.6 Luna costs less than Codex Mini
Quick Recommendation
Winner for direct API pricing: GPT-5.6 Luna. At the default workload, GPT-5.6 Luna saves about $1.50/month ($18.25/year) versus Codex Mini.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Codex Mini | GPT-5.6 Luna |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $1.50/1M tokens | $1.00/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $6.00/1M tokens | $6.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 200,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Category | efficient | efficient |
| Capabilities | textcodereasoning | textvisioncodereasoning |
| Release Date | 2/2/2026 | 6/26/2026 |
Codex Mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Codex Mini and GPT-5.6 Luna depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. GPT-5.6 Luna is the more affordable option at $1.00/1M input tokens — 33% cheaper than Codex Mini. Meanwhile, GPT-5.6 Luna offers a significantly larger context window at 1,050,000 tokens vs 200,000 for Codex Mini.
Both models are in the efficient category, making this a direct head-to-head comparison. At scale — say 10,000 requests per day — the cost difference adds up: GPT-5.6 Luna would save you roughly $150.00/month compared to Codex Mini. For startups and indie developers, that difference can be significant.
Output costs matter too. Codex Mini charges $6.00/1M output tokens vs $6.00 for GPT-5.6 Luna.
Multimodal capabilities: GPT-5.6 Luna supports vision (image inputs) while Codex Mini is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose Codex Mini when:
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
- • You're running high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads
Choose GPT-5.6 Luna when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need a larger context window (1,050,000 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (vision)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 128,000 tokens)
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
- • You're running high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads
Pros and Caveats at a Glance
Codex Mini
- • Input pricing: $1.50/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $6.00/M tokens
- • Context window: 200,000 tokens
- • Max output: 32,768 tokens
Watch out for
- • Higher input cost than GPT-5.6 Luna
- • Smaller context window than GPT-5.6 Luna
GPT-5.6 Luna
- • Input pricing: $1.00/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $6.00/M tokens
- • Context window: 1,050,000 tokens
- • Max output: 128,000 tokens
Watch out for
- • Trade-offs are minor in this matchup.
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Codex Mini (OpenAI)
GPT-5.6 Luna (OpenAI)
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