Model comparison
GPT-5.2 vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Head-to-head evidence from 17 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-5.2 #64 (Estimated); GPT-5.6 Terra #11 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.6 Terra share 17 comparable benchmark results. 5 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to GPT-5.2; 27 to GPT-5.6 Terra.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 17
- GPT-5.2 only
- 11
- GPT-5.6 Terra only
- 27
- Comparable categories
- 5 / 8
Pick GPT-5.6 Terra if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-5.2 only becomes the better choice if coding is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 17 shared benchmark results across 7 evidence categories; 5 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
GPT-5.6 Terra is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 72.57 to 58.43. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
GPT-5.6 Terra's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 80.8 against 35.2. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4), 18.800% to 68.300%. GPT-5.2 does hit back in coding, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
GPT-5.6 Terra is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.50 input / $15.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $1.75 input / $14.00 output per 1M tokens for GPT-5.2. GPT-5.6 Terra gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 400K for GPT-5.2.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | GPT-5.2 | Δ | GPT-5.6 Terra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | GPT-5.235.2 | Margin→ 45.6 | GPT-5.6 Terra80.8 |
| Agentic | GPT-5.255.7 | Margin→ 31.7 | GPT-5.6 Terra87.4 |
| Coding | GPT-5.270.6 | Margin← 7.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra63.4 |
| Knowledge | GPT-5.292.4 | Margin→ 0.5 | GPT-5.6 Terra92.9 |
| Multimodal | GPT-5.280.4 | Margin→ 0.3 | GPT-5.6 Terra80.7 |
| Reasoning | GPT-5.252.9 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-5.6 TerraNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)
MathA 18.800%B 68.300%Winner: GPT-5.6 TerraΔ 49.5FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4): GPT-5.2 scored 18.800%; GPT-5.6 Terra scored 68.300%. GPT-5.6 Terra wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 40.700%B 84.900%Winner: GPT-5.6 TerraΔ 44.2FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GPT-5.2 scored 40.700%; GPT-5.6 Terra scored 84.900%. GPT-5.6 Terra wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
BrowseComp
AgenticA 65.8%B 87.5%Winner: GPT-5.6 TerraΔ 21.7BrowseComp: GPT-5.2 scored 65.8%; GPT-5.6 Terra scored 87.5%. GPT-5.6 Terra wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
SWE-bench Pro
CodingA 55.6%B 63.4%Winner: GPT-5.6 TerraΔ 7.8SWE-bench Pro: GPT-5.2 scored 55.6%; GPT-5.6 Terra scored 63.4%. GPT-5.6 Terra wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 79.5%B 80.7%Winner: GPT-5.6 TerraΔ 1.2MMMU-Pro: GPT-5.2 scored 79.5%; GPT-5.6 Terra scored 80.7%. GPT-5.6 Terra wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-5.2$1.75 input / $14 output | GPT-5.6 Terra$2.5 input / $15 output | GPT-5.2 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-5.273 tok/s | GPT-5.6 TerraNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-5.2130.34 s | GPT-5.6 TerraNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-5.2400K | GPT-5.6 Terra1M | GPT-5.6 Terra lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
AgenticGPT-5.6 Terra wins20 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrowseCompSource | 65.8% | 87.5% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | 47.3% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 84.8% | 86.3% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| Gert LabsSource | 46.54% | — | Not comparable |
| JobBenchSource | 34.3% | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 87.4% | Not comparable |
| OSWorld 2.0Source | — | 50.2% | Not comparable |
| CyberGymSource | — | 81.8% | Not comparable |
| ExploitGymSource | — | 23.2% | Not comparable |
| ToolathlonSource | — | 53.1% | Not comparable |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | — | 47.4% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 54.1% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 1581 | Not comparable |
| AA Harvey LABSource | — | 85.2% | Not comparable |
| AA ITBenchSource | — | 51.0% | Not comparable |
| AA Tau3 BankingSource | — | 31.8% | Not comparable |
| AA AutomationBenchSource | — | 45.6% | Not comparable |
| terminalBenchHardSource | — | 57.6% | Not comparable |
| aaTerminalBench21Source | — | 88% | Not comparable |
| APEX-Agents-AASource | — | 38.9% | Not comparable |
CodingGPT-5.2 wins9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 80% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench ProSource | 55.6% | 63.4% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| Vibe Code BenchSource | 53.50% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-SciCodeSource | 52.1% | 53.9% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 87.4% | Not comparable |
| deepSweSource | — | 69.6% | Not comparable |
| FrontierCode 1.1 ExtendedSource | — | 55.8% | Not comparable |
| cursorBench32Source | — | 64.9% | Not comparable |
| AA Coding IndexSource | — | 76.7% | Not comparable |
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGPT-5.6 Terra wins10 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 92.4% | 92.9% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 42.2% | 55.0% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 90.3% | 92.5% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| AA-HLESource | 35.4% | 41.8% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -1.0% | -0.2% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 43.8% | 45.9% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.7% | 85.2% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| GPQA-DSource | — | 92.9% | Not comparable |
| HealthBench ProfessionalSource | — | 57.7% | Not comparable |
| HealthBench HardSource | — | 32.7% | Not comparable |
MathGPT-5.6 Terra wins4 benchmarks
MultimodalGPT-5.6 Terra wins7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMMU-ProSource | 79.5% | 80.7% | GPT-5.6 Terra leads |
| MathVisionSource | 83.0% | — | Not comparable |
| CharXivSource | 82.1% | — | Not comparable |
| V*Source | 75.9% | — | Not comparable |
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1224 | — | Not comparable |
| MMMU-Pro w/ PythonSource | — | 82% | Not comparable |
| AA-MMMU-ProSource | — | 80.7% | Not comparable |
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | GPT-5.6 Terra | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 75.4% | 71.2% | GPT-5.2 leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (6)
Which is better, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 72.57 to 58.43. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4), where the scores are 18.800% and 68.300%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 92.9 versus 92.4. Inside this category, Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.2 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 70.6 versus 63.4. Inside this category, SWE-bench Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 80.8 versus 35.2. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for agentic tasks, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge for agentic tasks in this comparison, averaging 87.4 versus 55.7. Inside this category, BrowseComp is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 80.7 versus 80.4. Inside this category, MMMU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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