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GPT-3.5 Turbo vs GPT-4 Turbo

GPT-4 Turbo significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 20.0x cheaper per token.

OpenAI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-4 Turbo is better at 6 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MGSM, MMLU). GPT-4 Turbo significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GPT-3.5 Turbo is roughly 20.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GPT-4 Turbo also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo

  • cost matters — it's about 20.0x cheaper per token

Choose GPT-4 Turbo

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 6 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2024

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAI
GPT-4 Turbo
OpenAI
Benchmark wins
0 of 6
6 of 6
Input price
$0.50 / M
$10.00 / M
Output price
$1.50 / M
$30.00 / M
Context window
16,385
128,000
Released
Mar 2023
Apr 2024
License
Proprietary
Proprietary

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-4 Turbo is better at 6 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MGSM, MMLU).

GPT-4 Turbo significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GPT-3.5 Turbo costs less

For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 20.0x cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo ($10.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 20.0x cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo ($30.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-4 Turbo is more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
OpenAI
GPT-4 Turbo
Input tokens$10.00
Output tokens$30.00
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-4 Turbo accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 4,096 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-4 Turbo
Input128,000 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

GPT-4 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while GPT-4 Turbo was released on 2024-04-09.

GPT-4 Turbo is 13 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.4 years ago

GPT-4 Turbo

Apr 9, 2024

2.4 years ago

1.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while GPT-4 Turbo has a cutoff of 2023-12-31.

GPT-4 Turbo has more recent training data (up to 2023-12-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

GPT-4 Turbo

Dec 2023

2.3 yr newer

Provider Availability

GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. GPT-4 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI.

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

GPT-4 Turbo

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $10.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $30.00/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $10.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $30.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4 Turbo side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-3.5 Turbo
✓ Preferred
GPT-4 Turbo
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs GPT-4 Turbo.

Which is better, GPT-3.5 Turbo or GPT-4 Turbo?

GPT-4 Turbo significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI and GPT-4 Turbo is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GPT-3.5 Turbo compare to GPT-4 Turbo in benchmarks?

GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%. GPT-4 Turbo scores MGSM: 88.5%, HumanEval: 87.1%, MMLU: 86.5%, DROP: 86.0%, MATH: 72.6%.

Is GPT-3.5 Turbo cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure. GPT-4 Turbo costs $10.00/M input and $30.00/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4 Turbo?

GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens and GPT-4 Turbo supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4 Turbo?

Key differences include context window (16K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $10.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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