GPT-4.1 vs LongCat-Flash-Lite
GPT-4.1 and LongCat-Flash-Lite are closely matched at 18.0 and 18.6 on the LLM Stats Score. LongCat-Flash-Lite is 20.0x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Meituan · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4.1 and LongCat-Flash-Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 18.0 and 18.6.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, LongCat-Flash-Lite wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, LongCat-Flash-Lite is roughly 20.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-4.1 also accepts a larger context window (1,047,576 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-4.1
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,047,576 token context window
Choose LongCat-Flash-Lite
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 5 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 20.0x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
29 reported for GPT-4.1 · 13 for LongCat-Flash-Lite
GPT-4.1 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, SWE-Bench Verified), while LongCat-Flash-Lite is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, GPQA).
LongCat-Flash-Lite has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4.1 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Lite ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4.1 ($8.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Lite ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.1 is more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Lite.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4.1 accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to LongCat-Flash-Lite's 256,000 tokens. LongCat-Flash-Lite can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-4.1 is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4.1 supports multimodal inputs, whereas LongCat-Flash-Lite does not.
GPT-4.1 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4.1
LongCat-Flash-Lite
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4.1 is licensed under a proprietary license, while LongCat-Flash-Lite 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-4.1 was released on 2025-04-14, while LongCat-Flash-Lite was released on 2026-02-05.
LongCat-Flash-Lite is 10 months newer than GPT-4.1.
Apr 14, 2025
1.5 years ago
Feb 5, 2026
8 months ago
9mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while LongCat-Flash-Lite's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without LongCat-Flash-Lite's cutoff date.
Jun 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-4.1 is available from OpenAI. LongCat-Flash-Lite is available from Meituan.
GPT-4.1
LongCat-Flash-Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 and LongCat-Flash-Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4.1 vs LongCat-Flash-Lite.