---
title: "GPT-5.6 Cyber: $250 per 1,000 security tasks, 2.5x Sol"
description: "GPT-5.6 Cyber costs $250 per 1,000 fixed-shape security tasks, exactly 2.5x Daybreak Sol. Cache and long-context math included."
canonical: https://vynaris.com/blog/gpt-56-cyber-vs-sol-security-task-cost
author: "Dhrumil Barot"
author_bio: "Dhrumil is an AI inference and LLM infrastructure expert. Dhrumil built Vynaris to make model access, routing and pricing simple and transparent for developers."
published: 2026-08-17
updated: 2026-08-22
---

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

Published 2026-08-17 · Updated 2026-08-22 · By [Dhrumil Barot](https://vynaris.com/about#founder), Founder

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](https://vynaris.com/models#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](https://vynaris.com/models#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

- An 8,000-input, 2,000-output task costs $0.25 on Cyber and $0.10 on Daybreak Sol. That is $250 versus $100 per 1,000 attempts.
- A fully cached 8,000-token input lowers the two bills to $160 and $64 per 1,000. A first cache write costs $275 and $110.
- Above 272,000 input tokens, OpenAI re-rates the full Cyber request to $25 input and $112.50 output per million tokens. A 300,000-input, 20,000-output task becomes $9.75.

## 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](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-5.6-cyber) identifies the model ID as `gpt-5.6-cyber`. It lists a 400,000-token [context window](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/inference-and-serving#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](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/cost-and-finops#input-token-cost), $1.25 cached input, and a $75 [output-token cost](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/cost-and-finops#output-token-cost) per million tokens.

The live [OpenAI API pricing page](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing) 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](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/routing-and-cost#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](https://vynaris.com/calculator?in=8000&out=2000) 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](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/inference-and-serving#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](https://vynaris.com/blog/prompt-caching-in-production-2026) 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](https://vynaris.com/blog/gpt-56-long-context-cliff-vs-gemini-200k-cost) 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](https://vynaris.com/glossary/category/routing-and-cost#model-routing) 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](https://vynaris.com/blog/llm-price-multipliers-stack-2026) 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

- OpenAI, GPT-5.6 Cyber model page: model identity, access, context limits, base prices, cache multiplier, and long-context rule. Verified live 2026-08-17: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-5.6-cyber
- OpenAI API pricing: Cyber and Sol Daybreak price rows, including cache writes and Sol long-context rates. Verified live 2026-08-17: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing
- Hacker News item “GPT 5.6 Cyber”: public discussion signal dated 2026-08-10. Fetched 2026-08-17: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49246704
- Reproducible arithmetic and editable assumptions: `gpt-56-cyber-vs-sol-security-task-cost-math.py`.

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](https://vynaris.com/blog/gpt-56-sol-price-cut-72-per-1000-balanced-tasks).

## About the author

[Dhrumil Barot](https://vynaris.com/about#founder), Founder. Dhrumil is an AI inference and LLM infrastructure expert. Dhrumil built Vynaris to make model access, routing and pricing simple and transparent for developers. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdhrumil) · [X](https://x.com/fyidhrumil)