Beam 1.0 vs o4-mini
Beam 1.0 leads the LLM Stats Score 44.6 to 27.0. Beam 1.0 is 3.2x cheaper per token.
Reflection AI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Beam 1.0 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 44.6 to 27.0, ranking #46 overall.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Beam 1.0 wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Beam 1.0 is roughly 3.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Beam 1.0 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Beam 1.0
- overall performance matters — it scores 44.6 and ranks #46 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 4 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 3.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Oct 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose o4-mini
- you want predictable pricing at $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
22 reported for Beam 1.0 · 14 for o4-mini
Beam 1.0 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
Beam 1.0 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Beam 1.0 ($0.40/1M tokens) is 2.8x cheaper than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Beam 1.0 ($1.20/1M tokens) is 3.7x cheaper than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, o4-mini is more expensive than Beam 1.0.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Beam 1.0 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to o4-mini's 200,000 tokens. Beam 1.0 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
o4-mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Beam 1.0 does not.
o4-mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Beam 1.0
o4-mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
Beam 1.0 is licensed under Apache 2.0, while o4-mini uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Beam 1.0 was released on 2026-10-16, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.
Beam 1.0 is 18 months newer than o4-mini.
Oct 16, 2026
4 days ago
1.5yr newerApr 16, 2025
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Beam 1.0 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-30, while o4-mini has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.
Beam 1.0 has more recent training data (up to 2026-06-30), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to o4-mini (2024-05-31).
Jun 2026
2.1 yr newerMay 2024
Provider Availability
Beam 1.0 is available from Together, Reflection AI. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.
Beam 1.0
o4-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Beam 1.0 and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Beam 1.0 vs o4-mini.