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Blog · 2026-08-17 · Vynaris Team

GPT-5.6 Cyber: $250 per 1,000 security tasks, 2.5x Sol

GPT-5.6 Cyber costs $250 per 1,000 fixed-shape security tasks, exactly 2.5x Daybreak Sol. Cache and long-context math included.

GPT-5.6 Cyber costs $250 per 1,000 fixed-shape security tasks at 8,000 input and 2,000 output tokens. The same Daybreak-priced workload costs $100 on GPT-5.6 Sol, so Cyber is exactly 2.5x dearer. Prices verified 2026-08-17. That ratio survives caching, cache writes, and long-context re-rating.

This is a price comparison, not a capability verdict. OpenAI describes Cyber as purpose-trained for advanced, authorized defensive work. It requires separate approval and provisioning through Daybreak.

TL;DR

Verdict table

Billing case                                GPT-5.6 Cyber    GPT-5.6 Sol, Daybreak  Cyber premium  Verdict
------------------------------------------  ---------------  ---------------------  -------------  -------------------------
Price per 1M tokens, uncached input/output  $12.50 / $75.00  $5.00 / $30.00         2.5x           Sol for general work
8k input + 2k output, one task              $0.250           $0.100                 2.5x           Cyber needs a quality win
Same shape, 1,000 tasks                     $250             $100                   2.5x           $150 premium per 1,000
Same shape, input fully cached              $160             $64                    2.5x           Output still dominates
Same shape, first cache write               $275             $110                   2.5x           Do not call a write a hit
300k input + 20k output, 1,000 tasks        $9,750           $3,900                 2.5x           Long-context rates apply

The durable finding is the last-but-one column. Cyber is not merely 2.5x on the headline pair. Every matching Daybreak meter is 2.5x Sol in this snapshot: uncached input, cached input, cache write, output, long input, and long output.

What OpenAI actually published

The live GPT-5.6 Cyber model page identifies the model ID as gpt-5.6-cyber. It lists a 400,000-token context window, a 128,000-token maximum output, and a 2026-02-16 knowledge cutoff. The same page prints a $12.50 input-token cost, $1.25 cached input, and a $75 output-token cost per million tokens.

The live OpenAI API pricing page adds the missing cache-write meter. Cyber writes cost $15.625 per million tokens, or 1.25 times its $12.50 uncached input rate. In the Daybreak table, Sol costs $5 input, $0.50 cached input, $6.25 cache write, and $30 output. Those are not Sol's ordinary standard rates. They are the Daybreak rates used for an apples-to-apples comparison with Cyber.

The ordinary short-context standard row lists Sol at $2.50 input and $15 output. Comparing Cyber against that tier would produce a 5x ratio, but it would mix access lanes. This article uses the Sol row shown beside Cyber in OpenAI's Cyber models table.

The short-task derivation

We use a fixed shape because no public evidence yet shows Cyber's token use or success rate on a representative production security workflow. The assumption is editable: 8,000 input tokens, 2,000 output tokens, one attempt, with no tools billed separately.

The formula is:

cost per 1,000 = ((input tokens × input $/1M) + (output tokens × output $/1M)) / 1,000,000 × 1,000

For Cyber, (8,000 × $12.50 + 2,000 × $75) / 1,000,000 × 1,000 = $250. For Sol, (8,000 × $5 + 2,000 × $30) / 1,000,000 × 1,000 = $100.

This per-request cost is not a benchmark. If Cyber raises the accepted-task rate enough, the higher attempt price can still win. The break-even is direct: Cyber must deliver 2.5 times as many accepted outcomes per attempt, or cut total attempts and token use enough to erase the $150 premium per 1,000 fixed-shape attempts.

Use the calculator with the 8k/2k shape when your input/output mix differs. Output-heavy work does not change the ratio here because both Cyber rates are 2.5x their matching Sol rates.

Caching lowers dollars, not the ratio

Prompt caching changes which input meter applies. It does not discount output tokens. With all 8,000 input tokens served as cache reads, Cyber costs (8,000 × $1.25 + 2,000 × $75) / 1,000,000 = $0.16 per task. Sol costs $0.064. That becomes $160 versus $64 per 1,000.

A cache write is a different event. Cyber charges 1.25 times uncached input, so the same task costs $0.275 on a write. Sol also charges 1.25 times input, making its task $0.11. See the full cache write and hit-rate break-even before treating every repeated prefix as a read.

Above 272k, the full request re-rates

OpenAI says prompts above 272,000 input tokens receive 2x input and 1.5x output pricing for the full request. That makes Cyber $25 input and $112.50 output per million tokens. The wording matters: only the tokens above the threshold are not surcharged. Crossing it re-prices everything.

For a 300,000-input, 20,000-output request, Cyber costs (300,000 × $25 + 20,000 × $112.50) / 1,000,000 = $9.75. The Daybreak Sol long rates are $10/$45, producing $3.90. At 1,000 attempts, the bills are $9,750 and $3,900.

That cliff is easy to trigger with repository-scale context. Our OpenAI long-context analysis shows why truncation just below a boundary can save more than trimming the same number of tokens elsewhere.

Honest tradeoff: price cannot rank these models

Cyber's 2.5x premium is not evidence that it is overpriced. OpenAI says it is purpose-trained for authorized vulnerability research, exploit validation, and security testing. Separate approval may also matter more than list price for teams that need those capabilities and governance controls.

Do not route models on this table alone. Cyber wins economically if its extra capability prevents enough retries, finds materially more valid defects, or shortens expensive human review. We do not have public matched-outcome data for Cyber versus Sol on this task shape, so claiming a quality-adjusted winner would be fiction.

For general secure-code explanation, triage, or low-risk classification, start with Sol and escalate only the cases that justify Cyber access. For approved deep vulnerability work, test both on a private, authorized evaluation set and compare dollars per accepted finding. The price-multiplier guide covers the other service tiers that can change the sticker.

FAQ

How much does GPT-5.6 Cyber cost per million tokens?

Short-context Cyber costs $12.50 input, $1.25 cached input, $15.625 cache write, and $75 output per million tokens. Prices were verified on 2026-08-17.

Is GPT-5.6 Cyber always 2.5x GPT-5.6 Sol?

It is 2.5x across the matching Daybreak meters published today. Actual cost per accepted outcome can differ because token use, retries, and success rates can differ.

Can any OpenAI API customer use GPT-5.6 Cyber?

No. OpenAI says the model requires separate approval and provisioning through its Daybreak program for advanced, authorized defensive security work.

Sources

Price update 2026-08-22: OpenAI cut GPT-5.6 Sol to promotional $4/$20 pricing. The same 8k-input/2k-output workload now costs $72 per 1,000, so Cyber is 3.47x rather than 2.5x. See the GPT-5.6 Sol price-cut math.