Model Comparison

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

GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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

GPT-4o (by OpenAI) and Phi-3.5-vision-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-4o outperforms in 4 benchmarks (AI2D, ChartQA, MathVista, MMMU), while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose GPT-4o if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks

Choose Phi-3.5-vision-instruct if…

  • 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

4 benchmarks

GPT-4o outperforms in 4 benchmarks (AI2D, ChartQA, MathVista, MMMU), while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4o specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only GPT-4o specifies output context (16,384 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4o
Input128,000 tokens
Output16,384 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-vision-instruct
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Sun Jul 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-4o and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

GPT-4o

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4o is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct uses MIT.

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

GPT-4o

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4o was released on 2024-08-06, while Phi-3.5-vision-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct is 1 month newer than GPT-4o.

GPT-4o

Aug 6, 2024

1.9 years ago

Phi-3.5-vision-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.9 years ago

2w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Higher AI2D score (94.2% vs 78.1%)
Higher ChartQA score (85.7% vs 81.8%)
Higher MathVista score (61.4% vs 43.9%)
Higher MMMU score (72.2% vs 43.0%)
Microsoft
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4o and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

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

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4o vs Phi-3.5-vision-instruct.

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

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

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

GPT-4o scores AI2D: 94.2%, DocVQA: 92.8%, ChartQA: 85.7%, MMLU: 85.7%, CharXiv-D: 85.3%. Phi-3.5-vision-instruct scores ScienceQA: 91.3%, POPE: 86.1%, MMBench: 81.9%, ChartQA: 81.8%, AI2D: 78.1%.

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

GPT-4o supports 128K tokens and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct 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-4o and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

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

Who makes GPT-4o and Phi-3.5-vision-instruct?

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

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