GPT-6 vs Gemini 4: What an SME Can Compare Right Now

Comparing GPT-6 vs Gemini 4 from published sources gives a partial picture: the only GPT-6 price cited here is for GPT-6.1 Sol in Ultrafast mode (OpenAI, 8 October 2026), and Google is rolling out Gemini 4 Argon in stages (30 September 2026). This page sets both against Claude Haiku 5.5 and Mistral Large 4 on four criteria an SME can act on: published API price, speed, availability and free access.

GPT-6 vs Gemini 4: which models can an SME compare today?

Four vendors, four names. OpenAI announced Ultrafast mode for GPT-6.1 Sol on 8 October 2026. According to LetsDataScience (7 October 2026), ChatGPT also runs GPT-6 in Sol and Luna variants for Intelligent UI. Google has Gemini 4 Argon. Anthropic has Claude Haiku 5.5. Mistral AI has Mistral Large 4. The table below keeps to four criteria a manager can act on: published API price, speed, availability and free access. Each cell names its source and date. Where the sources cited here hold no fact for a model, the cell says "Not documented".

What does each model cost per million tokens?

Prices are quoted per million tokens, the unit in which API usage is billed (see AI tokens and context windows explained). Claude Haiku 5.5 is listed at $0.10 input and $0.50 output up to 100,000 tokens, then $0.50 and $2.50. Mistral Large 4 is listed at $1.36 and $4.18. Gemini 4 Argon starts at $2 and $10, then $4 and $20 once the introductory period ends.

Our take: the OpenAI cell is the one you cannot fill. The $12 and $60 figure belongs to Ultrafast mode, and the standard-mode price is not documented here. Do not compare that number with the others as if it were a base tariff.

How fast and how available are they?

Speed is the thinnest row. OpenAI states that Ultrafast for GPT-6.1 Sol delivers "Near-Astra intelligence at up to 8x faster speeds" than Sol Standard. That is a comparison inside OpenAI's own range. For the other three models, speed is not documented in the sources cited here.

Availability differs more. Anthropic says Claude Haiku 5.5 is available on all platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, under the model identifier claude-haiku-5-5. Mistral Large 4 is a public preview. Gemini 4 Argon is rolled out in stages, starting with trusted cyber defenders.

Is Gemini 4 Argon available to an SME yet?

Google's announcement of 30 September 2026 calls the model Gemini 4 Argon. It describes a rollout to a set of "trusted cyber defenders" through the Fairwind programme, then to paying API customers and Google AI Ultra subscribers.

Our take: no date for the opening to paying API customers is documented here, so an SME that is not a cyber defender should check its own Google account before planning around Gemini 4 Argon.

Is there a free way to try them?

Free access is documented for one named model. According to LetsDataScience, on 7 October 2026 ChatGPT's paid plans use GPT-6 Sol and its Free and Go plans use GPT-6 Luna for Intelligent UI. Google's announcement of Gemini 4 Argon describes no free access. For the Gemini range in general, the Blog du Modérateur reported on 6 October 2026 that from 9 October, users without a subscription get the Flash-Lite range, with Flash and Pro reserved for paid plans; we do not link that report to Gemini 4 Argon. For Claude Haiku 5.5 and Mistral Large 4, no free access is documented in the sources cited here.

What should an SME do with this table?

Our take: treat the table as a shortlist of questions, not a ranking. Three of the four speed cells are empty and one price is a special mode. Pick one real task (a quote, a contract summary, an invoice check), run it on two models, and compare cost and result on your own data. For that test, see our method for choosing an AI model. If the model is meant to run inside your business software, see how we approach AI integration in your ERP.