FRI, AUGUST 14, 2026
Independent · In‑Depth · Practitioner‑Tested
Large Language Models

Grok 4.6 vs GPT-5.6 Sol (2026): Same AA Index 61, $2/M vs $5/M — What Each Actually Leads

They Tie on the Composite Benchmark — Here's Where Each Wins

🕐 5 min read 👁 21 views 📅 Aug 14, 2026

QUICK VERDICT — AUGUST 2026

AA Intelligence Index: Both 61 — tied
Input price: Grok 4.6 $2/M vs Sol $5/M (Grok 60% cheaper)
Output price: Grok 4.6 $6/M vs Sol $30/M (Grok 80% cheaper)
Grok long-context caveat: Doubles to $4/$12/M above 200K tokens
APEX-Agents: Grok 4.6 leads
DeepSWE (repo-scale coding): GPT-5.6 Sol leads
Codex async PR delivery: Sol only — no Grok equivalent
Context window: Grok 500K vs Sol ~128K
FLI safety: OpenAI C vs xAI F

Grok 4.6 and GPT-5.6 Sol tie on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (both at 61) — but the nine-benchmark composite averages across task types where each leads differently. Per APIdog's benchmark breakdown, Grok 4.6 leads on APEX-Agents (long-running multi-step tasks) and offers a 500K context window. GPT-5.6 Sol leads on DeepSWE (repository-scale coding) and uniquely offers Codex async PR delivery — assign a task, get a pull request. The AA Index tie at 61 means Grok 4.6 is now at the frontier tier at $2/M input compared to Sol's $5/M — roughly 60% cheaper for equivalent composite benchmark performance.

Grok 4.6 for: Long-running interactive agent tasks (APEX-Agents leader), cost-sensitive pipelines under 200K tokens ($2/M — 60% cheaper than Sol), Cursor and Grok Build workflows (CursorBench 69.9%), 500K context window. Watch: doubles to $4/$12/M above 200K tokens — entire request repriced.

GPT-5.6 Sol for: Repository-scale coding (DeepSWE leader), Codex async PR delivery (unique — no Grok equivalent), OpenAI ecosystem (DALL-E 4, Realtime API), FLI C safety posture for enterprise procurement. At $5/M input, the premium buys Codex and better repo-scale coding.

Last updated August 14, 2026. Related: Grok 4.6 full review → · GPT-5.6 Sol vs Claude Opus 5 →

⚖ Our Verdict

Both AA Index 61. Grok 4.6 wins on price ($2/M vs $5/M, 60% cheaper), APEX-Agents, 500K context. Caveat: doubles to $4/$12/M above 200K tokens. Sol wins on DeepSWE, Codex async PR (no Grok equivalent), FLI C safety. Route: interactive agents + cost → Grok 4.6. Repo coding + async PR → Sol.