Model Comparison

Command R+ vs GPT-3.5 TurboWhich is better in 2026?

Command R+ significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Command R+ is 1.7x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Command R+ vs GPT-3.5 Turbo — which is better?

Command R+ (by Cohere) and GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Command R+ outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while GPT-3.5 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks. Command R+ significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Command R+ is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Command R+ also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Command R+ if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Command R+ outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while GPT-3.5 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks.

Command R+ significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Command R+ costs less

For input processing, Command R+ ($0.25/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Command R+ ($1.00/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than Command R+.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
Cohere
Command R+
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerCohere
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Command R+ accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Command R+ can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.

Cohere
Command R+
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
Sat Jul 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Command R+ is licensed under CC BY-NC, while GPT-3.5 Turbo uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Command R+

CC BY-NC

Open weights

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Command R+ was released on 2024-08-30, while GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21.

Command R+ is 18 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

Command R+

Aug 30, 2024

1.9 years ago

1.4yr newer
GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Command R+'s cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-3.5 Turbo's training data extends to 2021-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Command R+'s cutoff date.

Command R+

—

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

Provider Availability

Command R+ is available from Cohere, Bedrock. GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI.

Command R+

cohere logo
Cohere
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

GPT-3.5 Turbo

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Cohere
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MMLU score (75.7% vs 69.8%)
OpenAI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Command R+ and GPT-3.5 Turbo side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Command R+
✓ Preferred
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Cohere
Command R+
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo

FAQ

Common questions about Command R+ vs GPT-3.5 Turbo.

Which is better, Command R+ or GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Command R+ significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Command R+ is made by Cohere and GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Command R+ compare to GPT-3.5 Turbo in benchmarks?

Command R+ scores HellaSwag: 88.6%, Winogrande: 85.4%, MMLU: 75.7%, ARC-C: 71.0%, GSM8k: 70.7%. GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%.

Is Command R+ cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Command R+ is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. Command R+ costs $0.25/M input and $1.00/M output via cohere. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Command R+ and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Command R+ supports 128K tokens and GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Command R+ and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 16K), input pricing ($0.25 vs $0.50/M), licensing (CC BY-NC vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Command R+ and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Command R+ is developed by Cohere and GPT-3.5 Turbo is developed by OpenAI.

Related comparisons