OpenAI says GPT-5.6 is now generally available after a limited preview requested by the U.S. government, while Anthropic says Claude Sonnet 5 launched across all Claude plans and became the default model for Free and Pro users.
OpenAI released GPT-5.6 for general availability after an initial limited preview tied to a U.S. government request.
OpenAI said in its GPT-5.6 announcement that the model family is now generally available, with three variants — Sol, Terra and Luna — available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API. The company also published benchmark and pricing details for the release.
In a separate post, OpenAI said it began GPT-5.6 Sol with a limited preview at the request of the U.S. government. According to OpenAI, that preview involved sharing trusted-partner participation with the government before a broader release.
That sequencing makes GPT-5.6 notable not only as a model launch, but also as an example of how frontier AI releases can be shaped by government access and security considerations. The available OpenAI material does not describe the preview as a formal approval process, but it does say the early release structure was connected to a U.S. government request.
Anthropic, meanwhile, said Claude Sonnet 5 launched across all Claude plans on June 30. In its announcement, Anthropic said the model became the default for Claude Free and Pro users, while also being available through Claude Code and the company’s API.
Anthropic also published benchmark and pricing information for Claude Sonnet 5. The company positioned the model for everyday work as well as software development through Claude Code, according to its announcement.
Axios corroborated that Sonnet 5 became the default model for Claude Free and Pro users. Axios also reported that the launch occurred amid broader government discussions over access to frontier models, including OpenAI’s staggered GPT-5.6 rollout.
The two releases show different approaches to making new AI systems available. OpenAI’s own posts describe a staged GPT-5.6 path: a limited GPT-5.6 Sol preview connected to a U.S. government request, followed by general availability for the broader GPT-5.6 family. Anthropic’s announcement says Claude Sonnet 5 was made available across all plans at launch, including as the default for Free and Pro users.
For developers and businesses, the practical distinction is access. OpenAI says GPT-5.6 is available in ChatGPT, Codex and the API, which gives customers several routes to test or deploy the model family. Anthropic says Claude Sonnet 5 is available to free users, paid Claude users, Claude Code users and API customers, making the model broadly accessible from its first public release.
The source material does not establish which model is stronger overall. Both companies published their own benchmarks and pricing, and Axios provides independent corroboration of Anthropic’s availability claims. What the sources do support is a narrower conclusion: OpenAI and Anthropic released major new models with visibly different rollout patterns, one involving a government-requested limited preview before general availability and the other launching immediately across all user plans.
OpenAI released GPT 5.6 for general availability after an initial limited preview tied to a U.S.
OpenAI moves GPT 5.6 beyond preview OpenAI said in its GPT 5.6 announcement that the model family is now generally available, with three variants — Sol, Terra and Luna — available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API.
The company also published benchmark and pricing details for the release.
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