GPT-4o vs GPT-5 Mini
API pricing, context window and capabilities for GPT-4o and GPT-5 Mini, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.
Verdict
computed from the published numbersGPT-5 Mini wins on price, on intelligence and on context window. Benchmark data is unavailable for one or both models.
Price
GPT-5 Mini
Terminal-Bench
Not called
Intelligence
GPT-5 Mini
Context window
GPT-5 Mini
Key takeaways
who wins on what, from the published numbersGPT-4o wins
- Supports audio
GPT-5 Mini wins
- Cheaper input ($2.50 vs $0.25 /1M)
- Cheaper output ($10.00 vs $1.20 /1M)
- Larger context window (131K vs 1M)
- Higher max output (16K vs 128K)
- More serving providers (6 vs 9)
- Has reasoning mode
- Has web search
Cheaper overall
GPT-5 Mini
$0.25 + $1.20 /1M
Larger context
GPT-5 Mini
1M
More providers
GPT-5 Mini
9 providers
Pricing & specs
cheapest listed route · per 1M tokensOn-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower.
| GPT-4o | GPT-5 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/1M | $2.50via OpenAI | $0.25via Databricks best |
| Output $/1M | $10.00via OpenAI | $1.20via Snowflake best |
| Context window | 131K | 1M best |
| Max output | 16K | 128K best |
| Serving providers | 6 | 9 best |
| Date | Released May 13, 2024 | Released Aug 7, 2025 |
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores, side by side| GPT-4o | GPT-5 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 8.4 | 16.8 best |
| Terminal-Bench | Not available | 4% |
| GPQA Diamond | 54% | 83% best |
| Output speed | 150 t/s | 155 t/s best |
| Latency (TTFT) | 0.79s best | 49.51s |
Cost calculator
choose a serving route for each sideInput tokens / month
Output tokens / month
GPT-4o
via Gmi
$23
GPT-5 Mini
via Databricks
$3.25
Capabilities
feature support, side by side| Feature | GPT-4o | GPT-5 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tool use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reasoning | — | ✓ |
| Audio | ✓ | — |
| Prompt caching | ✓ | ✓ |
| Structured output | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web search | — | ✓ |
Related comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o or GPT-5 Mini?
GPT-5 Mini is cheaper for input ($2.50 vs $0.25 per 1M tokens) from Databricks. GPT-5 Mini is cheaper for output ($10.00 vs $1.20 per 1M tokens) from Snowflake.
What is the context window difference between GPT-4o and GPT-5 Mini?
GPT-4o has a 131K-token context window and GPT-5 Mini has 1M tokens, so GPT-5 Mini can take a larger prompt.
How do GPT-4o and GPT-5 Mini compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, GPT-5 Mini leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026
Every weekday
AI moves fast. Here's your debrief.
News, analysis, tools, and more.
For people who build with AI