Model Comparison

GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Phi 4 Mini ReasoningWhich is better in 2026?

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Phi 4 Mini Reasoning — which is better?

GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) and Phi 4 Mini Reasoning (by Microsoft) 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 Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Phi 4 Mini Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output

Choose Phi 4 Mini Reasoning if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-3.5 Turbo specifies input context (16,385 tokens). Only GPT-3.5 Turbo specifies output context (4,096 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-3.5 Turbo is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning was released on 2025-04-30.

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is 26 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.3 years ago

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning

Apr 30, 2025

1.2 years ago

2.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning has a cutoff of 2025-02-01.

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning has more recent training data (up to 2025-02-01), 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

Phi 4 Mini Reasoning

Feb 2025

3.4 yr newer

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (16,385 tokens)
Microsoft
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (52.0% vs 30.8%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

GPT-3.5 Turbo
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Phi 4 Mini Reasoning.

Which is better, GPT-3.5 Turbo or Phi 4 Mini Reasoning?

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

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

GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%. Phi 4 Mini Reasoning scores MATH-500: 94.6%, AIME: 57.5%, GPQA: 52.0%.

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

GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K tokens and Phi 4 Mini Reasoning supports an unknown number of 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 Phi 4 Mini Reasoning?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-3.5 Turbo and Phi 4 Mini Reasoning?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is developed by OpenAI and Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is developed by Microsoft.

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