Command A vs gpt-oss-120b
Cohere · Global | OpenAI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Command A for enterprise rag and retrieval or strong long-context retrieval accuracy. Pick gpt-oss-120b for self-hostable on a single 80gb h100 gpu via mxfp4 or configurable reasoning depth (low/medium/high). On a tight budget at scale, gpt-oss-120b is the value pick.
Command A (Cohere) and gpt-oss-120b (OpenAI) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Command A is cohere's enterprise-focused model built for retrieval-augmented and grounded workloads. gpt-oss-120b is openAI's open-weight 117B-parameter MoE reasoning model (5.1B active) that runs on a single 80GB GPU and approaches o4-mini on reasoning, coding, and tool use. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Context window: Command A holds 2× more — 256K (~384 pages) vs 131K (~197 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-oss-120b is the newer model by about 5 months (released August 5, 2025), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Command A | gpt-oss-120b |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere (Global) | OpenAI (US) |
| Released | March 2025 | August 5, 2025 |
| Context window | 256K (~384 pages) | 131K (~197 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens | Open weight (self-host / free) |
| Open weight? | Yes — self-hostable | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, code | text, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | 62.4% |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Enterprise RAG and retrieval
Command A
Cohere's enterprise-focused model built for retrieval-augmented and grounded workloads — and it carries the larger 256K context.
Strong long-context retrieval accuracy
Command A
Its 256K window holds about 2× more than gpt-oss-120b's 131K in a single prompt.
Multilingual
Command A
Command A lists multilingual among its strengths; gpt-oss-120b does not.
Self-hostable on a single 80GB H100 GPU via MXFP4
gpt-oss-120b
OpenAI's open-weight 117B-parameter MoE reasoning model (5.1B active) that runs on a single 80GB GPU and approaches o4-mini on reasoning, coding, and tool use — and it is the newer of the two.
Configurable reasoning depth (low/medium/high)
gpt-oss-120b
gpt-oss-120b lists configurable reasoning depth (low/medium/high) among its strengths; Command A does not.
Agentic tool use, function calling, and code execution
gpt-oss-120b
gpt-oss-120b lists agentic tool use, function calling, and code execution among its strengths; Command A does not.
Lowest cost at scale
gpt-oss-120b
Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of Command A's $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input
Command A
Its 256K window is about 2× larger than gpt-oss-120b's 131K, fitting roughly 384 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ gpt-oss-120b
At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts Command A, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Command A
Larger 256K window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is enterprise rag and retrieval
→ Command A
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is self-hostable on a single 80gb h100 gpu via mxfp4
→ gpt-oss-120b
That is its strongest area.
Command A: where it fits
Cohere's enterprise-focused model built for retrieval-augmented and grounded workloads. Released March 2025 by Cohere, it is built for enterprise RAG and retrieval, strong long-context retrieval accuracy, multilingual, and tool use.
Its trade-offs are real: less consumer presence, and narrower modality support. At $2.5 in / $10 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
gpt-oss-120b: where it fits
OpenAI's open-weight 117B-parameter MoE reasoning model (5.1B active) that runs on a single 80GB GPU and approaches o4-mini on reasoning, coding, and tool use. Released August 5, 2025 by OpenAI, it is built for self-hostable on a single 80GB H100 GPU via MXFP4, configurable reasoning depth (low/medium/high), agentic tool use, function calling, and code execution, and full chain-of-thought visibility for debugging.
Its trade-offs: text-only, no image, audio, or video input, and 131K context and 5.1B active params trail the largest frontier closed models. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
The bottom line for this matchup
Command A and gpt-oss-120b overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. gpt-oss-120b costs less per token; Command A holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Command A for enterprise rag and retrieval, gpt-oss-120b for self-hostable on a single 80gb h100 gpu via mxfp4. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Command A and gpt-oss-120b 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 Command A or gpt-oss-120b better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for Command A, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Command A leans toward enterprise rag and retrieval while gpt-oss-120b leans toward self-hostable on a single 80gb h100 gpu via mxfp4, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Command A or gpt-oss-120b?
gpt-oss-120b is cheaper — $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens vs Open weight (self-host / free).
Which has the bigger context window?
Command A — 256K vs 131K, about 2× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Command A and gpt-oss-120b together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Command A, gpt-oss-120b 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, Command A or gpt-oss-120b?
gpt-oss-120b — released August 5, 2025, about 5 months after Command A.
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.