Model Comparison

GPT-5 Medium vs GPT-5.1Which is better in 2026?

GPT-5.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. GPT-5 Medium and GPT-5.1 cost the same.

Verdict: GPT-5 Medium vs GPT-5.1 — which is better?

GPT-5 Medium (by OpenAI) and GPT-5.1 (by OpenAI) 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-5 Medium outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.1 is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025). GPT-5.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Choose GPT-5 Medium if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $1.25/M input and $10.00/M output

Choose GPT-5.1 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GPT-5 Medium outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.1 is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).

GPT-5.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Thu Jul 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

For input processing, GPT-5 Medium ($1.25/1M tokens) costs the same as GPT-5.1 ($1.25/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5 Medium ($10.00/1M tokens) costs the same as GPT-5.1 ($10.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5 Medium and GPT-5.1 cost the same.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Jul 23 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input tokens$1.25
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerOpenAI
OpenAI
GPT-5.1
Input tokens$1.25
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 400,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-5.1
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Thu Jul 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5 Medium and GPT-5.1 support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5 Medium

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-5.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

GPT-5 Medium

Proprietary

Closed source

GPT-5.1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5 Medium was released on 2025-08-07, while GPT-5.1 was released on 2025-11-13.

GPT-5.1 is 3 months newer than GPT-5 Medium.

GPT-5 Medium

Aug 7, 2025

11 months ago

GPT-5.1

Nov 13, 2025

8 months ago

3mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Both models have the same knowledge cutoff date of 2024-09-30.

They should have similar awareness of historical events and information up to this date.

GPT-5 Medium

Sep 2024

GPT-5.1

Sep 2024

Provider Availability

GPT-5 Medium is available from OpenAI. GPT-5.1 is available from OpenAI.

GPT-5 Medium

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

GPT-5.1

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

OpenAI
Higher AIME 2025 score (94.0% vs 88.9%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5 Medium and GPT-5.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5 Medium
✓ Preferred
GPT-5.1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
OpenAI
GPT-5.1

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5 Medium vs GPT-5.1.

Which is better, GPT-5 Medium or GPT-5.1?

GPT-5.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. GPT-5 Medium is made by OpenAI and GPT-5.1 is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GPT-5 Medium compare to GPT-5.1 in benchmarks?

GPT-5 Medium scores AIME 2025: 88.9%, GPQA: 88.1%. GPT-5.1 scores Tau2 Telecom: 95.6%, AIME 2025: 94.0%, BrowseComp Long Context 128k: 90.0%, GPQA: 88.1%, MMMU: 85.4%.

Is GPT-5 Medium cheaper than GPT-5.1?

Both models cost $1.25 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5 Medium and GPT-5.1?

GPT-5 Medium supports 400K tokens and GPT-5.1 supports 400K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

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