Is OpenAI making GPT-5.6 Luna unlimited for free users?

While the pricing logs do not explicitly state 'unlimited' usage for all free users, they do confirm that ChatGPT for Teachers moved to a $0 price point as of August 9, 2026.

What is the price difference between ChatGPT Business monthly and annual billing?

The Business plan costs $25 per seat per month when billed monthly, compared to $20 per seat per month when billed annually.

How much does the gpt-5.6-sol model cost for long context?

For the gpt-5.6-sol model, standard long context is priced at $10 per 1M input tokens and $45 per 1M output tokens.

Are there specific costs for audio and file search features?

Yes. As of August 2, 2026, File Search storage is $0.1 per unit, and gpt-realtime-2.1 audio output is priced at $64 per 1M tokens.

AI Costs & Pricing

OpenAI API Pricing History

By Paige Gilmore, Founder, NetLift· Published July 28, 2026· Updated August 11, 2026

Prices checked August 17, 2026 against official vendor pages

OpenAI API pricing has remained stable for business and developer tiers since early August 2026, with the most significant update being the move to a $0 price point for ChatGPT for Teachers. Current token rates vary widely by model performance, ranging from $0.20 to $30.00 per million input tokens.

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OpenAI's current pricing structure scales based on model capability and context requirements. Recent tracking shows a focus on maintaining stable rates for the gpt-5 series while expanding access to educational tools. Business seats remain constant at $20 to $25 depending on the billing cycle, providing a predictable floor for departmental budgeting.

For technical leaders, the developer API costs are segmented by model family—Luna, Terra, and Sol—each with distinct pricing for input, output, and cached tokens. This granularity allows for precise cost-performance optimization but requires careful monitoring of model selection within development environments.

OpenAI API pricing history

Date	Plan	Previous price	New price
2026-08-11	sora-2-pro — Standard 1080p	$0.7	$0.7
2026-08-11	sora-2 — Standard 720p	$0.1	$0.1
2026-08-11	o4-mini-2025-04-16 — Fine-tuning Standard Input	$4	$4
2026-08-11	gpt-transcribe — Transcription	$0	$0
2026-08-11	gpt-realtime-translate — Live translation	$0.03	$0.03
2026-08-11	gpt-realtime-2.1 — Text Modality - Output	$24	$24
2026-08-11	gpt-realtime-2.1 — Text Modality - Input	$4	$4
2026-08-11	gpt-realtime-2.1 — Audio Modality - Output	$64	$64
2026-08-11	gpt-realtime-2.1 — Audio Modality - Input	$32	$32
2026-08-11	gpt-image-2 — Standard Image Output	$30	$30
2026-08-11	gpt-image-2 — Standard Image Input	$8	$8
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-sol — Fast Mode Short Context - Output	$60	$60
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-sol — Fast Mode Short Context - Input	$10	$10
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-sol — Batch/Flex Short Context - Output	$15	$15
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-sol — Batch/Flex Short Context - Input	$2.50	$2.50
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-cyber — Standard Short Context - Output	$75	$75
2026-08-11	gpt-5.6-cyber — Standard Short Context - Input	$12.50	$12.50
2026-08-11	gpt-5.3-codex — Standard Input	$1.75	$1.75
2026-08-11	Web search — Reasoning models	$10	$10
2026-08-11	Web search — Non-reasoning models preview	$25	$25
2026-08-11	File search — Tool call	$2.50	$2.50
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — Free version	$0	$0
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — Enterprise	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — ChatGPT for Teachers	$0	$0
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — ChatGPT Edu	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — Business	$20	$25
2026-08-11	ChatGPT — Business	$20	$25
2026-08-11	ChatGPT chat-latest — Standard Input	$5	$5
2026-08-10	ChatGPT — ChatGPT for Teachers	$0	$0
2026-08-10	ChatGPT — ChatGPT Edu	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-09	ChatGPT — ChatGPT for Teachers	Contact sales	$0
2026-08-09	ChatGPT — ChatGPT Edu	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-08	ChatGPT — ChatGPT for Teachers	$0	$0
2026-08-08	ChatGPT — ChatGPT Edu	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-07	ChatGPT — ChatGPT for Teachers	$0	$0
2026-08-07	ChatGPT — ChatGPT Edu	Contact sales	Contact sales
2026-08-02	o4-mini-2025-04-16 — Fine-tuning Training	$100	$100
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-terra — Standard Short Context - Output	$12	$12
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-terra — Standard Short Context - Input	$2	$2
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Short Context - Output	$30	$30
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Short Context - Input	$5	$5
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Long Context - Output	$45	$45
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Long Context - Input	$10	$10
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-luna — Standard Short Context - Output	$1.20	$1.20
2026-08-02	gpt-5.6-luna — Standard Short Context - Input	$0.2	$0.2
2026-08-02	File search — Storage	$0.1	$0.1
2026-08-02	Containers — Hosted Shell and Code Interpreter 1 GB	$0.03	$0.03

NetLift has monitored the official OpenAI API pricing page since 2026-08-11. 47 change(s) recorded so far.

Current verified prices

Plan	Price	Billing	Notes
ChatGPT — Business	$25	per seat / month	Billed monthly.

Current verified per-token prices

Model / rate	Price	Unit
ChatGPT chat-latest — Standard Input	$5	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.3-codex — Standard Input	$1.75	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-cyber — Standard Short Context - Input	$12.50	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-cyber — Standard Short Context - Output	$75	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-luna — Standard Short Context - Input	$0.2	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-luna — Standard Short Context - Output	$1.20	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Batch/Flex Short Context - Input	$2.50	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Short Context - Input	$5	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Long Context - Input	$10	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Fast Mode Short Context - Input	$10	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Batch/Flex Short Context - Output	$15	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Short Context - Output	$30	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Standard Long Context - Output	$45	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-sol — Fast Mode Short Context - Output	$60	per 1M output tokens
gpt-5.6-terra — Standard Short Context - Input	$2	per 1M input tokens
gpt-5.6-terra — Standard Short Context - Output	$12	per 1M output tokens
gpt-image-2 — Standard Image Input	$8	per 1M input tokens
gpt-image-2 — Standard Image Output	$30	per 1M output tokens
gpt-realtime-2.1 — Text Modality - Input	$4	per 1M input tokens
gpt-realtime-2.1 — Text Modality - Output	$24	per 1M output tokens
gpt-realtime-2.1 — Audio Modality - Input	$32	per 1M input tokens
gpt-realtime-2.1 — Audio Modality - Output	$64	per 1M output tokens
o4-mini-2025-04-16 — Fine-tuning Standard Input	$4	per 1M input tokens

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How do the different gpt-5 models impact the budget?

OpenAI has introduced a tiered approach within the gpt-5 generation. The Luna model acts as the entry point for high-volume, low-cost tasks, while the Sol model commands a higher premium for standard and long-context processing. Procurement teams should note that 'Fast mode' and 'Long Context' variants of the same model family can double or triple the per-token cost, making model-routing logic a critical financial lever.

What changes have occurred for educational and business plans?

The pricing history indicates a strategic shift in the educational sector, specifically moving ChatGPT for Teachers to a $0 model in August 2026. Meanwhile, the Business and Enterprise tiers have stayed consistent. This suggests that while OpenAI is lowering barriers for academic use, the commercial and professional tiers are currently priced for stability rather than aggressive discounting.

Determining the net return on AI requires more than just tracking API invoices; it requires measuring the specific time saved versus the baseline cost of manual tasks. NetLift enables finance teams to audit these expenditures by model type, ensuring that the higher costs of premium models like gpt-5.5-pro are delivering a proportional increase in business value and efficiency.

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Sources

All pricing on this page comes from official vendor pages:

https://platform.openai.com/docs/pricing — retrieved 2026-08-11
https://openai.com/business/pricing/ — retrieved 2026-08-11

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About the author

Paige Gilmore · Founder, NetLift

Paige Gilmore is the founder of NetLift, the AI Value Management platform that helps organisations measure the cost, savings and return of AI adoption.

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