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Head to head · Decision models · October 2026 research run

Microsoft-Decision-1 vs OpenAI Decisions API

OpenAI Decisions API scores 71.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Microsoft-Decision-1's 39 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do decision models. Microsoft-Decision-1 is cheaper for decision models, $0 against $0.10 per 1M tokens.

Best decision models for AI agents · All 91 decisions comparisons

Microsoft-Decision-1Microsoft · Model API E39/100#921 of 954 OpenAI Decisions APIOpenAI · Model API BB71.5/100#123 of 954

Which one, for what

Microsoft-Decision-1 E

Best for Routing, classification, prioritisation and rubric checks over text, where a fixed set of options and a low price per token matter more than generated text.

Also in its favour

  • Cheaper for decision models, $0 against $0.10 per 1M tokens

Watch for

Public preview only. Microsoft's post gives no general availability date and states no licence for the hosted model

OpenAI Decisions API BB

Best for High-volume yes or no checks, routing among fixed options and rubric scoring over text and images, for teams already on an OpenAI key.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 53 against 30
  • Schema & documentation, 89 against 43
  • Agent ergonomics, 87 against 50
  • Security & auth, 83 against 52
  • Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
  • Maintenance & community, 77 against 40
  • Transparency & trust, 83 against 32

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
  • A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for

Public beta released on 6 October 2026. The guide expects general availability in the coming weeks and gives no date

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runMicrosoft-Decision-1OpenAI Decisions APIEdge
Reliability16%203053OpenAI Decisions API +23
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.24389OpenAI Decisions API +46
Agent ergonomics13%16.25087OpenAI Decisions API +37
Security & auth14%17.55283OpenAI Decisions API +31
Payments & pricing10%12.52030OpenAI Decisions API +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.84077OpenAI Decisions API +37
Transparency & trust7%8.83283OpenAI Decisions API +51
Negative events≤1500
TotalE 39/100BB 71.5/100

Facts side by side

FactMicrosoft-Decision-1OpenAI Decisions API
KindModel APIModel API
VendorMicrosoftOpenAI
Hosted endpointno (local only)https://api.openai.com/v1/decisions
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingPay per usePay per use
Price for decision modelsfree$0.10 per 1M tokens
x402nono
LicenceNot stated. The announcement and OpenRouter's model page name no licence, and no weights repository was found.Proprietary service under OpenAI's services agreement. The official SDKs are Apache-2.0
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtnoyes
Last release2026-10-092026-10-06
Terms last updatedno document linkedcouldn't be read
Privacy policy last updatedcouldn't be read
Customer content may train modelscouldn't be read
Terms restrict automated accesscouldn't be read
Terms restrict benchmarkingcouldn't be read
Terms or service can change without noticecouldn't be read
Arbitration or class-action waivercouldn't be read
Popularitynone32k stars

Verdicts

Microsoft-Decision-1

Microsoft publishes $0.042 per million input tokens, with output free, and the model is callable through Microsoft Foundry and OpenRouter. It is in public preview. No licence, model-specific retention statement, rate limit or deprecation policy was found, and the Foundry route needs an Azure deployment and an Entra token. Latency and accuracy figures are Microsoft's claims.

OpenAI Decisions API

Typed predicate, choice and score answers with probabilities, up to 200 questions a call, at $0.10 per million input tokens with no output charge. It is a public beta released on 6 October 2026, with one model alias, no dated snapshot, no Batch route and no SLA found.

Before you call either

Microsoft-Decision-1

  1. Use OpenRouter's Decisions method, not an OpenAI chat-completions SDK. OpenRouter says chat completions SDKs will not work with this model
  2. On Foundry, send the request to the deployment's /providers/microsoft/v1/systemone path with a Microsoft Entra token for https://cognitiveservices.azure.com/.default, not an API key
  3. Take the deployment name from the Foundry quickstart before the first call. Microsoft says to confirm the route and authentication header, and the pages reviewed do not give the name
  4. Keep each request within OpenRouter's 32,768-token context and send only fixed options, since the model is not intended for open-ended generation
  5. Measure latency and calibration on your own labelled cases before relying on Microsoft's latency and 'nine times out of 10' statements

OpenAI Decisions API

  1. Put independent questions about one input in a single questions array. Send a separate request when a question depends on an earlier answer
  2. Check each answer's type before reading it. A question can come back as refusal while the others in the same request are answered
  3. Encode images as base64 data URLs. Hosted URLs and file_id inputs are rejected
  4. Give a choice question a fallback value such as other, and set thresholds from your own labelled examples
  5. Use Python SDK 3.26.0 or JavaScript 7.30.0 or later, and follow Retry-After on 429 and 503

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Microsoft-Decision-1 or OpenAI Decisions API?

OpenAI Decisions API scores 71.5 (BB) on agent readiness against Microsoft-Decision-1's 39 (E), and leads in every scored category.

Which is cheaper for decision models, Microsoft-Decision-1 or OpenAI Decisions API?

Microsoft-Decision-1, at free against $0.10 per 1M tokens for OpenAI Decisions API. These are the vendors' published prices for the job.

Do Microsoft-Decision-1 and OpenAI Decisions API need an API key?

Microsoft-Decision-1 takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. OpenAI Decisions API needs an API key.

Can an agent call Microsoft-Decision-1 and OpenAI Decisions API without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Microsoft-Decision-1. OpenAI Decisions API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.openai.com/v1/decisions.

Other comparisons with Microsoft-Decision-1 or OpenAI Decisions API

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