Model Comparison
GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Phi-4-multimodal-instructWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 55.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct — which is better?
GPT-5.1 Thinking (by OpenAI) and Phi-4-multimodal-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-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMMU), while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is roughly 55.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Thinking also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-5.1 Thinking if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose Phi-4-multimodal-instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 55.0x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMMU), while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($1.25/1M tokens) is 25.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($10.00/1M tokens) is 100.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Thinking is more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.1 Thinking accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.1 Thinking and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 Thinking is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct 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-5.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-12, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct was released on 2025-02-01.
GPT-5.1 Thinking is 9 months newer than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.
Nov 12, 2025
8 months ago
9mo newerFeb 1, 2025
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while GPT-5.1 Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GPT-5.1 Thinking's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Provider Availability
GPT-5.1 Thinking is available from OpenAI. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is available from DeepInfra.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 Thinking and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.