# Microsoft-Decision-1 vs OpenAI Decisions API

> OpenAI Decisions scores 71.5 (BB) to Microsoft-Decision-1's 39 (E) for decision models. Microsoft-Decision-1 is cheaper for decision models, $0 against $0.10 per 1M tokens. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api.md (~2,850 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api.min.md (~780 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-10

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.

- Microsoft-Decision-1: grade E, 39/100, rank #921 of 954. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-decision-1.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-decision-1.json
- OpenAI Decisions API: grade BB, 71.5/100, rank #123 of 954. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-decisions-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-decisions-api.json
- Best decision models for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/decision-models/index.md
- All 91 decisions comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/decision-models/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Microsoft-Decision-1 (E)

Good 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)

Good 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

| Category | Weight | Microsoft-Decision-1 | OpenAI Decisions API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 30 | 53 | OpenAI Decisions API +23 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 43 | 89 | OpenAI Decisions API +46 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 50 | 87 | OpenAI Decisions API +37 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 52 | 83 | OpenAI Decisions API +31 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 30 | OpenAI Decisions API +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 40 | 77 | OpenAI Decisions API +37 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 32 | 83 | OpenAI Decisions API +51 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **39 · E** | **71.5 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Microsoft-Decision-1 | OpenAI Decisions API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | Microsoft | OpenAI |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.openai.com/v1/decisions` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| Price for decision models | free | $0.10 per 1M tokens |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Not 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 documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-09 | 2026-10-06 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated |  | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | none | 32k 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.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-decision-1-vs-openai-decisions-api.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "microsoft-decision-1", "b": "openai-decisions-api"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare microsoft-decision-1 openai-decisions-api`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-decision-1.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-decisions-api.json

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- [Celeris-1 Decision vs Microsoft-Decision-1](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/celeris-1-decision-vs-microsoft-decision-1.md)
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