GPT-5 vs o4-mini
GPT-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. o4-mini is 1.8x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5 outperforms in 9 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2025, BrowseComp, CharXiv-R, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU, Multi-Challenge, SWE-Bench Verified), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, o4-mini is roughly 1.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5 also accepts a larger context window (400,000 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-5
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 9 of 9 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025
Choose o4-mini
- cost matters — it's about 1.8x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5 outperforms in 9 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2025, BrowseComp, CharXiv-R, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU, Multi-Challenge, SWE-Bench Verified), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5 ($1.25/1M tokens) is 1.1x more expensive than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 2.3x more expensive than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5 is more expensive than o4-mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5 accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to o4-mini's 200,000 tokens. GPT-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5 and o4-mini support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5
o4-mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5 was released on 2025-08-07, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.
GPT-5 is 4 months newer than o4-mini.
Aug 7, 2025
1.1 years ago
3mo newerApr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-09-30, while o4-mini has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.
GPT-5 has more recent training data (up to 2024-09-30), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to o4-mini (2024-05-31).
Sep 2024
4 mo newerMay 2024
Provider Availability
GPT-5 is available from OpenAI. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.
GPT-5
o4-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5 and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5 vs o4-mini.