Model Comparison

GPT-3.5 Turbo vs GPT-4.1 nano

GPT-4.1 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-4.1 nano is 4.3x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-4.1 nano is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MathVista, MMLU, MMMU).

GPT-4.1 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat May 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GPT-4.1 nano costs less

For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than GPT-4.1 nano ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 3.8x more expensive than GPT-4.1 nano ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than GPT-4.1 nano.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat May 02 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 nano
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-4.1 nano accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. GPT-4.1 nano can generate longer responses up to 32,768 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 nano
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sat May 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-4.1 nano supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.

GPT-4.1 nano can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-4.1 nano

Text
Images
Audio
Video

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-4.1 nano

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while GPT-4.1 nano was released on 2025-04-14.

GPT-4.1 nano is 25 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.1 years ago

GPT-4.1 nano

Apr 14, 2025

1.0 years ago

2.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while GPT-4.1 nano has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.

GPT-4.1 nano has more recent training data (up to 2024-05-31), 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-4.1 nano

May 2024

2.7 yr newer

Provider Availability

GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. GPT-4.1 nano is available from 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-4.1 nano

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

OpenAI
OpenAI
Larger context window (1,047,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (50.3% vs 30.8%)
Higher MathVista score (56.2% vs 0.0%)
Higher MMLU score (80.1% vs 69.8%)
Higher MMMU score (55.4% vs 0.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 nano

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs GPT-4.1 nano

GPT-4.1 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI and GPT-4.1 nano is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%. GPT-4.1 nano scores MMLU: 80.1%, IFEval: 74.5%, CharXiv-D: 73.9%, MMMLU: 66.9%, Multi-IF: 57.2%.
GPT-4.1 nano is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure. GPT-4.1 nano costs $0.10/M input and $0.40/M output via openai.
GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens and GPT-4.1 nano supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (16K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.10/M), multimodal support (no vs yes). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.