Model Comparison

GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o1Which is better in 2026?

o1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 35.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o1 — which is better?

GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) and o1 (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.

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o1 is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MathVista, MGSM, MMLU, MMMU). o1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GPT-3.5 Turbo is roughly 35.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o1 also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

  • cost matters — it's about 35.0x cheaper per token

Choose o1 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 7 of 7 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2024
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

7 benchmarks

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o1 is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MathVista, MGSM, MMLU, MMMU).

o1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 20 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

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 30.0x cheaper than o1 ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 40.0x cheaper than o1 ($60.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o1 is more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 20 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
OpenAI
o1
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$60.00
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o1 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. o1 can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
OpenAI
o1
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sat Jun 20 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

o1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while o1 was released on 2024-12-17.

o1 is 21 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.3 years ago

o1

Dec 17, 2024

1.5 years ago

1.7yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while o1'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 o1's cutoff date.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

o1

—

Provider Availability

GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. o1 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

o1

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $60.00/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $60.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (78.0% vs 30.8%)
Higher HumanEval score (88.1% vs 68.0%)
Higher MATH score (96.4% vs 43.1%)
Higher MathVista score (71.8% vs 0.0%)
Higher MGSM score (89.3% vs 56.3%)
Higher MMLU score (91.8% vs 69.8%)
Higher MMMU score (77.6% vs 0.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAI
o1

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o1.

Which is better, GPT-3.5 Turbo or o1?

o1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI and o1 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 o1 in benchmarks?

GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%. o1 scores GSM8k: 97.1%, MATH: 96.4%, GPQA Physics: 92.8%, MMLU: 91.8%, MGSM: 89.3%.

Is GPT-3.5 Turbo cheaper than o1?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is 30.0x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure. o1 costs $15.00/M input and $60.00/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-3.5 Turbo and o1?

GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens and o1 supports 200K 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 o1?

Key differences include context window (16K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $15.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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