Model Comparison

GPT-4 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instructWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 375.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-4 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct — which is better?

GPT-4 (by OpenAI) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (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-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.

Choose GPT-4 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 7 shared benchmarks

Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…

  • 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

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

7 benchmarks

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.

Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs less

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-4
Input tokens$30.00
Output tokens$60.00
Best providerAzure
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

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.

OpenAI
GPT-4
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

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

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

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.

GPT-4

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

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.

GPT-4

Jun 13, 2023

3.0 years ago

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.8 years ago

1.2yr newer

Knowledge 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.

GPT-4

Dec 2022

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

—

Provider Availability

GPT-4 is available from Azure, OpenAI. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.

GPT-4

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $30.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $60.00/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $30.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $60.00/1M

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (35.7% vs 30.4%)
Higher HellaSwag score (95.3% vs 69.4%)
Higher HumanEval score (67.0% vs 62.8%)
Higher MGSM score (74.5% vs 47.9%)
Higher MMLU score (86.4% vs 69.0%)
Higher Winogrande score (87.5% vs 68.5%)
Microsoft
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MATH score (48.5% vs 42.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

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.

GPT-4
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-4
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Which is better, GPT-4 or Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

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

How does GPT-4 compare to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct in benchmarks?

GPT-4 scores AI2 Reasoning Challenge (ARC): 96.3%, HellaSwag: 95.3%, Uniform Bar Exam: 90.0%, SAT Math: 89.0%, LSAT: 88.0%. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%.

Is GPT-4 cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 300.0x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-4 costs $30.00/M input and $60.00/M output via azure. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

GPT-4 supports 33K tokens and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Key differences include context window (33K vs 128K), input pricing ($30.00 vs $0.10/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

GPT-4 is developed by OpenAI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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