ChatGPT is the clear winner: 8.8/10 (A-tier) versus 7.2/10 (B-tier). GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI) isn't a bad tool, but on every category that drives the overall score, ChatGPT comes out ahead. The tier gap is repeatable -- not methodology noise -- and the day-to-day experience reflects it.
On pricing, ChatGPT starts free while GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI) requires a paid plan from day one ($12.50 / $75+). If you're testing the waters or running an occasional workload, that gap matters more than the score differential. GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI) starts at $12.50 / $75; ChatGPT starts at $500. Compare what each entry tier actually unlocks before you compare list prices -- the limits matter more than the headline number.
By use case: pick GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI) when enterprise soc teams, established security research orgs, and vetted individual defenders who can qualify for trusted access for cyber. Pick ChatGPT when everyone. The two tools aren't fighting for the same person -- they're aiming at adjacent jobs that occasionally overlap. If you're squarely in ChatGPT's lane, the tier-list ranking and the use-case fit point the same direction; if you're in GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI)'s lane, the score gap matters less than the fit.
Bottom line: ChatGPT is the better tool for most people right now. Pick GPT-5.6-Cyber / GPT-5.4-Cyber (OpenAI) only when enterprise soc teams, established security research orgs, and vetted individual defenders who can qualify for trusted access for cyber -- that's its lane, and inside that lane it still earns its place.