Model Comparison

GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o3-miniWhich is better in 2026?

o3-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 2.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o3-mini — which is better?

GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) and o3-mini (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 o3-mini is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU). o3-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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.

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

  • cost matters — it's about 2.6x cheaper per token

Choose o3-mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

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.

Sat Jun 13 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 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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

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.

OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sat Jun 13 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

o3-mini

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.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.2 years ago

o3-mini

Jan 30, 2025

1.4 years ago

1.9yr newer

Knowledge 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).

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

o3-mini

Sep 2023

2 yr newer

Provider Availability

GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. o3-mini 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

o3-mini

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* 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 (77.2% vs 30.8%)
Higher MATH score (97.9% vs 43.1%)
Higher MGSM score (92.0% vs 56.3%)
Higher MMLU score (86.9% vs 69.8%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAI
o3-mini

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs o3-mini.

Which is better, GPT-3.5 Turbo or o3-mini?

o3-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI and o3-mini 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 o3-mini in benchmarks?

GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%. o3-mini scores COLLIE: 98.7%, MATH: 97.9%, IFEval: 93.9%, MGSM: 92.0%, AIME 2024: 87.3%.

Is GPT-3.5 Turbo cheaper than o3-mini?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is 2.2x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure. o3-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-3.5 Turbo and o3-mini?

GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens and o3-mini 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 o3-mini?

Key differences include context window (16K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $1.10/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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