OpenAI's new GPT-5.6 Sol model and Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 are trading benchmark wins as Fable's discounted access window closes Jul. 19.
Key Points
- OpenAI rolled out three separate GPT-5.6 tiers, Sol, Terra and Luna, replacing its previous single-model approach.
- Independent testing found Claude Fable 5 edges GPT-5.6 Sol on creative and coding tasks, while Sol wins most standardized benchmarks.
- Anthropic has extended free Fable 5 access for paid subscribers three times, with the current deadline set for Jul. 19.
Sol Pricing Details
OpenAI moved GPT-5.6 to general availability on Jul. 9, splitting the release into three separate models instead of one adjustable system. Sol serves as the flagship tier, Terra sits in the middle, and Luna handles lighter workloads.
Sol charges $5 per million input tokens and $30 for output, half of what Anthropic charges for Fable 5, priced at $10 and $50. Luna, cheaper still at $1 and $6, already outperforms Claude Opus 4.8 on coding benchmarks, figures OpenAI later confirmed.
A review outlet detailed how Fable 5 has endured a rockier stretch. U.S. export controls shut the model down globally on Jun. 12, days before its original free-access window was due to close.
Regulators lifted those restrictions on Jun. 30. Anthropic restored Fable 5 on Jul. 1, then extended its promotional pricing deadline three separate times since, most recently to Jul. 19.
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Testing Shows Split Results
On standardized measures, Sol generally leads. It scored 80 against Fable's 77.2 on the Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index, and hit 53.6% against Fable's 40.5% on Agents' Last Exam, a separate benchmark tracker showed. On the broader Intelligence Index, though, Fable 5 edges Sol by a single point.
Hands-on testing painted a closer picture. Reviewers who ran identical prompts through both models called their creative-writing and logic-puzzle outputs roughly tied, each with distinct strengths.
Fable 5 pulled ahead clearly on one task. In a single-shot coding test building a browser game, it shipped music, animation and power-ups that Sol's version skipped entirely.
Fable 5's access history has followed an unusually bumpy path since its Jun. 9 debut. The model launched with free access promised through Jun. 22, got pulled offline by the export dispute before that date arrived, returned Jul. 1 with a tighter weekly cap, and then saw its paywall deadline pushed back twice more, to Jul. 12 and now Jul. 19.
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