Is OpenAI better than Recursive?
It depends on the job: OpenAI offers the broader line-up (126 models vs 1), OpenAI the longest context (1.1M tokens). The workload table above shows which wins for chat, RAG, agents, batch jobs and long documents.
OpenAI vs Recursive
OpenAI lists 126 models and Recursive 1. Below: line-up, price tiers, the cheapest model for each capability, and what each costs for five real workloads.
At a glance
| OpenAI | Recursive | |
|---|---|---|
| Models listed | 126 | 1 |
| Models with published pricing | 126 | 1 |
| Typical price (median, 3:1 blend per 1M) | $3.44 | n/a |
| Cheapest paid model | OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b ($0.04) | n/a |
| Longest context | OpenAI: GPT-5.4 (1.1M) | Recursive: Flint (free) (262K) |
| Free models | 2 | 1 |
| Newest model | OpenAI: GPT-6.1 Sol (2026-09-29) | Recursive: Flint (free) (2026-10-21) |
| Price changes in the last 90 days | 28 | 0 |
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What each costs for real workloads
For each workload: the cheapest model from each provider that can actually do it (fits the context window; tool calling required for the agent), and its monthly cost at list price.
| Workload (per month) | OpenAI | Recursive |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-support chatbot 50,000 conversations — each a 6-turn conversation | $3.15 with OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b | no suitable model |
| RAG search over documents 20,000 questions — each a question answered from ~8 retrieved passages | $3.06 with OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b | no suitable model |
| Coding / tool-using agent 2,000 tasks — each a multi-step task with tool calls and file context | $3.24 with OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b | no suitable model |
| Batch summarisation 10,000 documents — each a 6,000-word report summarised to a page | $1.98 with OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b | no suitable model |
| Long-document analysis 500 documents — each a 150-page contract or codebase read in one pass | $0.99 with OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b | no suitable model |
Cheapest model for each capability
| You need | OpenAI | Recursive |
|---|---|---|
| Any model | OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b ($0.04) | none listed |
| With tool calling | OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b ($0.04) | none listed |
| With image input | OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano (batch) ($0.07) | none listed |
| With reasoning mode | OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b ($0.04) | none listed |
| 128K+ context | OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b ($0.04) | none listed |
| 1M+ context | OpenAI: GPT-4.1 Nano (batch) ($0.09) | none listed |
Line-up by type and price tier
| Model type | OpenAI | Recursive |
|---|---|---|
| text+audio->text+audio | 3 | 0 |
| text+file->text | 4 | 0 |
| text+image+file->text | 89 | 0 |
| text+image+file->text+image | 3 | 0 |
| text+image->text | 8 | 0 |
| text->text | 19 | 1 |
| Price per 1M (3:1 blend) | OpenAI | Recursive |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 | 1 |
| Under $0.50 | 27 | 0 |
| $0.50 – $3 | 32 | 0 |
| $3 – $10 | 38 | 0 |
| $10 and up | 27 | 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more models, OpenAI or Recursive?
OpenAI: OpenAI lists 126 models and Recursive lists 1.
Which provider has the longest context window?
OpenAI: OpenAI's longest is OpenAI: GPT-5.4 at 1.1M tokens; Recursive's is Recursive: Flint (free) at 262K.
Do OpenAI or Recursive offer free models?
OpenAI: 2 free models (e.g. OpenAI: gpt-oss-120b (free)). Recursive: 1 free model (e.g. Recursive: Flint (free)).
Which provider has models that can read images?
OpenAI: 100 of 126 models accept images. Recursive: 0 of 1.