Apple Foundation Models 3 vs GPT-6.1 Sol
Apple · US | OpenAI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Apple Foundation Models 3 for runs entirely on-device on iphone - no api call, no per-token cost, works offline or the 20b sparse 'core advanced' variant lifted on-device output quality from 23% to 46% user preference in apple's own testing versus the prior generation. Pick GPT-6.1 Sol for nearly matches flagship gpt-6 astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, openai says, at roughly one-fifth astra's price or factual-accuracy error rate falls to 7.7% at low reasoning effort, down from gpt-6 sol's 11.4%. On a tight budget at scale, Apple Foundation Models 3 is the value pick.
Apple Foundation Models 3 (Apple) and GPT-6.1 Sol (OpenAI) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Apple Foundation Models 3 is apple's on-device model family - genuinely small context and no API access, but private, offline, and free to run on every iPhone. GPT-6.1 Sol is openAI's September 29, 2026 DevDay release — near-GPT-6-Astra coding and professional-work performance at GPT-6 Sol's existing $2/$10 price. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Context window: GPT-6.1 Sol holds 256× more — 1.05M tokens (~1,575 pages) vs 4K (~6 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
- ▸Recency: GPT-6.1 Sol is the newer model by about 4 months (released September 29, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Apple Foundation Models 3 | GPT-6.1 Sol |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Apple (US) | OpenAI (US) |
| Released | June 2026 | September 29, 2026 |
| Context window | 4K (~6 pages) | 1.05M tokens (~1,575 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | Not published | $2/$10 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | No — API only | No — API only |
| Modalities | text, image | text, image |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Runs entirely on-device on iPhone - no API call, no per-token cost, works offline
Apple Foundation Models 3
GPT-6.1 Sol is comparatively weak here — pricing rises to $4/$15 per million tokens for prompts beyond 272K input tokens
The 20B sparse 'Core Advanced' variant lifted on-device output quality from 23% to 46% user preference in Apple's own testing versus the prior generation
Apple Foundation Models 3
Apple Foundation Models 3 lists the 20B sparse 'Core Advanced' variant lifted on-device output quality from 23% to 46% user preference in Apple's own testing versus the prior generation among its strengths; GPT-6.1 Sol does not.
Deep integration with iOS apps via the Foundation Models framework, now open to third-party LLM providers too
Apple Foundation Models 3
Apple Foundation Models 3 lists deep integration with iOS apps via the Foundation Models framework, now open to third-party LLM providers too among its strengths; GPT-6.1 Sol does not.
Nearly matches flagship GPT-6 Astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, OpenAI says, at roughly one-fifth Astra's price
GPT-6.1 Sol
OpenAI's September 29, 2026 DevDay release — near-GPT-6-Astra coding and professional-work performance at GPT-6 Sol's existing $2/$10 price — and it carries the larger 1.05M tokens context.
Factual-accuracy error rate falls to 7.7% at low reasoning effort, down from GPT-6 Sol's 11.4%
GPT-6.1 Sol
OpenAI's September 29, 2026 DevDay release — near-GPT-6-Astra coding and professional-work performance at GPT-6 Sol's existing $2/$10 price — and it is the newer of the two.
Cached input priced at $0.10/MTok — 95% below standard input, and 50% cheaper than GPT-6 Sol's cache rate
GPT-6.1 Sol
Apple Foundation Models 3 is comparatively weak here — a genuinely small context window (about 4,096 tokens, shared between input and output) - far below cloud frontier models
Lowest cost at scale
Apple Foundation Models 3
Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of GPT-6.1 Sol's $2/$10 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input
GPT-6.1 Sol
Its 1.05M tokens window is about 256× larger than Apple Foundation Models 3's 4K, fitting roughly 1,575 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Apple Foundation Models 3
At Not published it undercuts GPT-6.1 Sol, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ GPT-6.1 Sol
Larger 1.05M tokens window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is runs entirely on-device on iphone - no api call, no per-token cost, works offline
→ Apple Foundation Models 3
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is nearly matches flagship gpt-6 astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, openai says, at roughly one-fifth astra's price
→ GPT-6.1 Sol
That is its strongest area.
Apple Foundation Models 3: where it fits
Apple's on-device model family - genuinely small context and no API access, but private, offline, and free to run on every iPhone. Released June 2026 by Apple, it is built for runs entirely on-device on iPhone - no API call, no per-token cost, works offline, the 20B sparse 'Core Advanced' variant lifted on-device output quality from 23% to 46% user preference in Apple's own testing versus the prior generation, deep integration with iOS apps via the Foundation Models framework, now open to third-party LLM providers too, and zero marginal cost and strong privacy - nothing leaves the device.
Its trade-offs are real: a genuinely small context window (about 4,096 tokens, shared between input and output) - far below cloud frontier models, not comparable in raw capability to frontier cloud models - built for efficiency and privacy, not benchmark leadership, and no public API pricing since it isn't sold per-token - only usable within Apple's own platforms.
GPT-6.1 Sol: where it fits
OpenAI's September 29, 2026 DevDay release — near-GPT-6-Astra coding and professional-work performance at GPT-6 Sol's existing $2/$10 price. Released September 29, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for nearly matches flagship GPT-6 Astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, OpenAI says, at roughly one-fifth Astra's price, factual-accuracy error rate falls to 7.7% at low reasoning effort, down from GPT-6 Sol's 11.4%, cached input priced at $0.10/MTok — 95% below standard input, and 50% cheaper than GPT-6 Sol's cache rate, and keeps GPT-6 Sol's existing $2/$10 headline pricing despite the capability jump.
Its trade-offs: launched in place of a hoped-for GPT-6.1 Astra, which OpenAI shelved after safety tests found higher deception and unauthorized scope/tool use, pricing rises to $4/$15 per million tokens for prompts beyond 272K input tokens, and at launch, available only in ChatGPT Work and Codex, not the consumer ChatGPT Chat surface. At $2 in / $10 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Apple Foundation Models 3 and GPT-6.1 Sol overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Apple Foundation Models 3 costs less per token; GPT-6.1 Sol holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Apple Foundation Models 3 for runs entirely on-device on iphone - no api call, no per-token cost, works offline, GPT-6.1 Sol for nearly matches flagship gpt-6 astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, openai says, at roughly one-fifth astra's price. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Apple Foundation Models 3 and GPT-6.1 Sol without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is Apple Foundation Models 3 or GPT-6.1 Sol better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Apple Foundation Models 3 leans toward runs entirely on-device on iphone - no api call, no per-token cost, works offline while GPT-6.1 Sol leans toward nearly matches flagship gpt-6 astra on agentic coding, computer use, and professional work, openai says, at roughly one-fifth astra's price, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Apple Foundation Models 3 or GPT-6.1 Sol?
Apple Foundation Models 3 is cheaper — Not published vs $2/$10 per 1M tokens.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-6.1 Sol — 1.05M tokens vs 4K, about 256× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Apple Foundation Models 3 and GPT-6.1 Sol together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Apple Foundation Models 3, GPT-6.1 Sol and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Apple Foundation Models 3 or GPT-6.1 Sol?
GPT-6.1 Sol — released September 29, 2026, about 4 months after Apple Foundation Models 3.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.