Pricing of OpenAI GPT 5.6 models (Luna & Terra)

Question

OpenAI just released a statement that Luna and Terra pricing is decreased by 80% and 20% respectively. Sol performance is to boost by 2.5x.

Are these updated prices availablealready on Microsoft Foundry? If not, when will they be?

Answer 1

Based on cost data analysis, we are indeed paying 5x rates for using OpenAI frontier models on Azure compared to buying directly from OpenAI.

We are paying 1.10 USD per 1M input tokens (short context, DZ), for Luna compared to the OpenAI pricing of 0.20 USD (or 0.22 USD for short DZ), and 6.60 USD per 1M output tokens compared to 2.00 USD (or 2.20 USD for DZ). For Terra, we are paying 2.75 USD input and 16.50 output, vs 2.2 USD per 1M in and 13.2 USD per 1M out respectively in OpenAI pricing.

This is such a significant cost difference that one must ask what is the purpose of using Microsoft Foundry? The benefits do not outweigh the costs at these rates.

Answer 2

I agree with what every user has said here. This is highly unprofessional behaviour from Microsoft as a company.

It is not as if the GPT-5.6 family is not the flagship products in the Azure-OpenAI lineup. Yet, as of today, August 12, 2026, nothing on Microsoft’s side appears to reflect the supposed price change, whether in the official Azure documentation, on the Azure platform itself, or through the official Azure API.

This is further confirmed by third-party AI gateway developers in this GitHub issue, who, as of today, are still struggling to correctly implement cost-consumption telemetry for Azure services: https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/issues/36192

On the other hand, in its official communication, Microsoft advertises and proudly presents its adoption of the new OpenAI pricing policy, while continuing to bill its customers up to five times more for GPT-5.6-Luna: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/gpt-5-6-now-available-in-microsoft-foundry/

This is highly misleading and unprofessional, and could reasonably be described as false advertising.

Rather than simply acknowledging the issue, please escalate it to whoever is responsible within the Azure team and provide a clear explanation of the discrepancy between Microsoft’s stated pricing and the prices actually being charged to customers.

Answer 3

Effective August 1st, Azure OpenAI customers will receive the same updated price decreases for GPT 5.6 Luna and Terra models recently announced by OpenAI. Azure is committed to continuing to price parity for applicable Azure OpenAI Services offerings.

Source: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/gpt-5-6-now-available-in-microsoft-foundry/

In general, Azure will have same pricing as OpenAI.

Answer 4

I wonder what model would generate such a long answer, it's a deliberate prompt and done by some Oldman like Nemotron 3?

Answer 5

Hello @Giuseppe Coco ,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A .Thank you for reaching out to us.

After reviewing OpenAI’s July 30, 2026 announcement alongside the currently published Azure OpenAI pricing information and Azure AI Foundry announcements, the current position is as follows.

OpenAI announced the following changes on the OpenAI Platform:

• GPT-5.6 Luna pricing reduced by 80%.
• GPT-5.6 Terra pricing reduced by 20%.
• GPT-5.6 Sol introduced a Fast mode offering up to 2.5× higher performance at a different pricing tier.

It is important to note that Azure OpenAI pricing can vary based on:

• Azure region
• Deployment type (Global, Data Zone, Regional, Priority Processing, etc.)
• Currency
• Applicable commercial agreement

Azure pricing documentation also notes that published prices are estimates and that actual pricing may vary depending on agreement type, purchase date, currency, and other commercial factorsOpenAI announced the following changes on the OpenAI Platform:

• GPT-5.6 Luna pricing reduced by 80%.
• GPT-5.6 Terra pricing reduced by 20%.
• GPT-5.6 Sol introduced a Fast mode offering up to 2.5× higher performance at a different pricing tier.

It is important to note that Azure OpenAI pricing can vary based on:

• Azure region
• Deployment type (Global, Data Zone, Regional, Priority Processing, etc.)
• Currency
• Applicable commercial agreement

Azure pricing documentation also notes that published prices are estimates and that actual pricing may vary depending on agreement type, purchase date, currency, and other commercial factors

Based on the currently published information, the OpenAI-announced Luna and Terra pricing changes are not currently reflected in the publicly available Azure OpenAI pricing. No public Azure announcement has been identified confirming adoption of those pricing changes.

OpenAI also announced Fast Mode for GPT-5.6 Sol, providing up to 2.5× faster processing than Standard mode.

Azure OpenAI currently documents Standard deployments and Priority Processing as Azure capabilities, and pricing for Priority Processing is published on the Azure pricing page

However, no official Azure documentation currently confirms:

• That Priority Processing corresponds to OpenAI’s newly announced Fast Mode.
• That the OpenAI Fast Mode update has been rolled out to Azure OpenAI.
• That the published “up to 2.5× faster” performance claim applies to Azure-hosted GPT-5.6 Sol deployments

As a result, the 2.5× performance improvement cannot currently be confirmed for Azure OpenAI.

No public Azure announcement, pricing update, or roadmap entry was found that provides an ETA for:

• Adoption of the GPT-5.6 Luna pricing reduction.
• Adoption of the GPT-5.6 Terra pricing reduction.
• Availability of the GPT-5.6 Sol Fast Mode update within Azure OpenAI or Azure AI Foundry.

Please check if the following help-

1. Review the latest Azure OpenAI pricing page for the applicable Azure region.
2. Validate expected costs using the Azure Pricing Calculator.
3. Monitor Azure AI Foundry announcements and Microsoft Learn documentation for future pricing and feature updates.
4. Where contract-specific pricing applies, validate against the applicable Azure agreement and billing configuration.

The following references might be helpful , please check them out

• Azure OpenAI Service - Pricing | Microsoft Azure
• Pricing Calculator | Microsoft Azure
• GPT-5.6 now available in Microsoft Foundry: Frontier models, pricing, and production agents
• Foundry Models sold by Azure - Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Learn
• Enable priority processing for Microsoft Foundry Models - Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Learn

Please let us know if the response was helpful

 

Thank you