OpenAI's best general-purpose model — a strong flagship pick that punches above its price on input costs while delivering top-tier reasoning and multimodal capability.
90
Coding
88
Writing
91
Research
62
Images
58
Value
87
Long Context
Use this when
High-stakes professional tasks requiring deep reasoning, precise instruction-following, and reliable multimodal understanding.
Skip this if
You need real-time response speeds, are running high-volume automated pipelines where output token costs accumulate quickly, or require native image generation.
Pricing
$30.00/1M in
$180.00/1M out
→0%since May 2026
Context
400k tokens
Speed
Balanced
Pricing is asymmetric: cheap on input ($1.25/1M) but expensive on output ($10/1M), so it favors read-heavy or summarization tasks over verbose generation. The 400K context window is one of the largest available at this price tier. Supersedes GPT-4o, which remains available at lower cost for lighter workloads.
Superior instruction-following and nuanced task interpretation compared to GPT-4o
400K context window handles large codebases, legal documents, or multi-document research sessions
Strong multimodal reasoning over images, charts, and mixed media inputs
Competitive pricing against Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15) while offering flagship-level capability
Weaknesses
Output cost of $10/1M tokens makes high-volume production workloads expensive relative to flash/mini alternatives
Speed is balanced rather than fast — not suitable for real-time or latency-sensitive applications
No native image generation; image capability is understanding only
Real-world use cases
What people actually use OpenAI: GPT-5 for.
Analyzing a 200-page legal contract and extracting key risk clauses with citations
Reviewing and refactoring a large multi-file Python codebase with architectural suggestions
Interpreting complex scientific charts and synthesizing findings from multiple uploaded research papers
Price History
OpenAI: GPT-5 pricing over time
→0% since May 9
48 data points · tracked daily since May 9, 2026
Ready to try it?
Start using OpenAI: GPT-5
High-stakes professional tasks requiring deep reasoning, precise instruction-following, and reliable multimodal understanding.. Start free — no card required.
Recommendations are made independently based on real-world use and public benchmarks. See our disclosures for details.
Compare alternatives
Similar models worth checking before you commit.
AnthropicPremium
Claude Fable 5
Anthropic's new Mythos-class flagship and the most capable coding model anyone can use — 80.3% SWE-Bench Pro, an 11-point jump over Opus 4.8. 1M context, 128K output, native parallel subagents. Released June 9, 2026.
Verdict
New global #1 — 80.3% SWE-Bench Pro, the most capable model generally available.
Quality score
98%
Pricing
$10.00/1M in
$50.00/1M out
Speed
Deliberate
Best for the hardest coding tasks, autonomous multi-step agents, and frontier-grade reasoning
Context
1M tokens
Launched June 9, 2026 as the public, Mythos-class release. Available on the Claude API, Microsoft Foundry, and Google Vertex AI. Free for all users until June 22, 2026. Same underlying model as Claude Mythos 5, with safeguards that block specific high-risk cyber responses.
Coding leaderSWE-Bench Pro #1Mythos-classParallel subagentsAgenticLong contextPremiumNew
Best for
The hardest coding tasks, autonomous multi-step agents, and frontier-grade reasoning
Anthropic's newest Opus flagship — 69.2% SWE-Bench Pro, 88.6% SWE-Bench Verified, 1890 Arena Elo (121 pts ahead of GPT-5.5), and native parallel subagents. Same $5/$25 price as Opus 4.7.
Verdict
New #1 on SWE-Bench Pro — parallel subagents, same price as Opus 4.7.
Quality score
97%
Pricing
$10.00/1M in
$50.00/1M out
Speed
Deliberate
Best for hardest coding tasks, parallel agentic workflows, and high-fidelity vision
Context
1M tokens
Launched May 27, 2026. Available on Claude API, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry, and GitHub Copilot. Fast mode available at $10/$50 per 1M tokens.
Coding leaderSWE-bench Pro #1Parallel subagentsAgenticLong contextPremiumNew
Best for
Hardest coding tasks, parallel agentic workflows, and high-fidelity vision
OpenAI: GPT-5 (OpenAI) is now indexed. It supersedes GPT-4o. OpenAI's best general-purpose model — a strong flagship pick that punches above its price on input costs while delivering top-tier reasoning and multimodal capability.
OpenAI: GPT-5 is best for high-stakes professional tasks requiring deep reasoning, precise instruction-following, and reliable multimodal understanding.. It is a strong fit when that workflow matters more than the tradeoffs around balanced pricing and balanced speed.
When should I avoid OpenAI: GPT-5?
You need real-time response speeds, are running high-volume automated pipelines where output token costs accumulate quickly, or require native image generation.
What is a cheaper alternative to OpenAI: GPT-5?
Meta: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is the lower-cost option to compare first when you want a similar workflow fit with less token spend.
What is a faster alternative to OpenAI: GPT-5?
Claude Fable 5 is the better pick when response time matters more than maximum depth or premium quality.
Newsletter
Get notified when OpenAI: GPT-5 pricing changes
We track pricing daily. When this model drops or spikes, you'll know first.
No spam. Useful updates only. Affiliate disclosures always clearly labeled.