GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o3-mini
o3-mini leads the LLM Stats Score 21.5 to -9.3. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 2.6x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
o3-mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 21.5 to -9.3, ranking #178 overall.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, o3-mini wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, GPT-3.5 Turbo is roughly 2.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
o3-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 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 GPT-3.5 Turbo
- cost matters — it's about 2.6x cheaper per token
Choose o3-mini
- overall performance matters — it scores 21.5 and ranks #178 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 4 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
8 reported for GPT-3.5 Turbo · 25 for o3-mini
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o3-mini is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU).
o3-mini 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, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 2.2x cheaper than o3-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 2.9x cheaper than o3-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, o3-mini is more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
o3-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. o3-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while o3-mini was released on 2025-01-30.
o3-mini is 23 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Mar 21, 2023
3.5 years ago
Jan 30, 2025
1.6 years ago
1.9yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while o3-mini has a cutoff of 2023-09-30.
o3-mini has more recent training data (up to 2023-09-30), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).
Sep 2021
Sep 2023
2 yr newerProvider Availability
GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. o3-mini is available from Azure, OpenAI.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
o3-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-3.5 Turbo and o3-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o3-mini.