GPT-6 Astra vs MiniMax M3: cost per task
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 14 of 14 tasks and about 23.8x cheaper on average (geometric mean). GPT-6 Astra has the higher LMArena Text score (1477 vs 1441).
| Task | GPT-6 Astra | MiniMax M3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer a chat question | 3.4¢ | 0.12¢ | 28.6x |
| Reply to a customer email | 0.89¢ | 0.07¢ | 13.4x |
| Write a 1,500-word blog post | 11¢ | 0.27¢ | 42.2x |
| Write 10 product descriptions | 6.2¢ | 0.21¢ | 30.0x |
| Translate 1,000 words | 8.0¢ | 0.73¢ | 10.9x |
| Proofread one page (500 words) | 4.0¢ | 0.15¢ | 26.1x |
| Summarize a 20-page PDF | 16¢ | 0.47¢ | 32.9x |
| Extract data from an invoice | 2.6¢ | 0.12¢ | 22.2x |
| Analyze a 200-row spreadsheet | 42¢ | 2.1¢ | 20.4x |
| Answer from 5 retrieved documents (RAG) | 5.9¢ | 0.26¢ | 22.3x |
| Classify 100 support tickets | 3.9¢ | 0.27¢ | 14.1x |
| Review 500 lines of code | 24¢ | 0.45¢ | 53.9x |
| Write a SQL query | 2.4¢ | 0.09¢ | 26.2x |
| Run a 50-step coding agent | $3.72 | 18¢ | 20.5x |
Specs and list prices
| GPT-6 Astra | MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $10.00 | $0.30 |
| Output per 1M | $50.00 | $1.20 |
| Cached input per 1M | $1.00 | $0.06 |
| Context | 1.05M | 1M |
| Providers | 7 | 14 |
| Reasoning | always | none |
| LMArena Text | 1477 | 1441 |
| Released | Sep 4, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
FAQ
Is GPT-6 Astra or MiniMax M3 cheaper?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 14 of 14 tasks and about 23.8x cheaper on average (geometric mean). GPT-6 Astra has the higher LMArena Text score (1477 vs 1441).
How much does GPT-6 Astra cost compared to MiniMax M3 per token?
GPT-6 Astra: $10.00 input and $50.00 output per 1M tokens. MiniMax M3: $0.30 input and $1.20 output. Token prices alone mislead - models use different numbers of tokens for the same task, which is what the task table shows.