GPT-4 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
GPT-4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 375.0x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4 outperforms in 6 benchmarks (GPQA, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MGSM, MMLU, Winogrande), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 1 benchmark (MATH). GPT-4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is roughly 375.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-4
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 7 shared benchmarks
Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
- cost matters — it's about 375.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4 outperforms in 6 benchmarks (GPQA, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MGSM, MMLU, Winogrande), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 1 benchmark (MATH).
GPT-4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4 ($30.00/1M tokens) is 300.0x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4 ($60.00/1M tokens) is 600.0x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4 is more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-4's 32,768 tokens. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-4 is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-4 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi-3.5-mini-instruct does not.
GPT-4 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-4 was released on 2023-06-13, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 15 months newer than GPT-4.
Jun 13, 2023
3.2 years ago
Aug 23, 2024
2.0 years ago
1.2yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2022-12-31, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4's training data extends to 2022-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Phi-3.5-mini-instruct's cutoff date.
Dec 2022
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Provider Availability
GPT-4 is available from Azure, OpenAI. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.
GPT-4
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.