Model Comparison

o3-mini vs o1-previewWhich is better in 2026?

o3-mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. o3-mini is 13.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: o3-mini vs o1-preview — which is better?

o3-mini (by OpenAI) and o1-preview (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.

o3-mini outperforms in 6 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, LiveBench, MATH, MGSM, SWE-Bench Verified), while o1-preview is better at 2 benchmarks (MMLU, SimpleQA). o3-mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, o3-mini is roughly 13.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o3-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose o3-mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 8 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 13.6x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025

Choose o1-preview if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $60.00/M output
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

o3-mini outperforms in 6 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, LiveBench, MATH, MGSM, SWE-Bench Verified), while o1-preview is better at 2 benchmarks (MMLU, SimpleQA).

o3-mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

o3-mini costs less

For input processing, o3-mini ($1.10/1M tokens) is 13.6x cheaper than o1-preview ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, o3-mini ($4.40/1M tokens) is 13.6x cheaper than o1-preview ($60.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o1-preview is more expensive than o3-mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerAzure
OpenAI
o1-preview
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$60.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o3-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to o1-preview's 128,000 tokens. o3-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while o1-preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.

OpenAI
o3-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
OpenAI
o1-preview
Input128,000 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

o3-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

o1-preview

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

o3-mini was released on 2025-01-30, while o1-preview was released on 2024-09-12.

o3-mini is 5 months newer than o1-preview.

o3-mini

Jan 30, 2025

1.4 years ago

4mo newer
o1-preview

Sep 12, 2024

1.8 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

o3-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-09-30, while o1-preview's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm o3-mini's training data extends to 2023-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without o1-preview's cutoff date.

o3-mini

Sep 2023

o1-preview

—

Provider Availability

o3-mini is available from Azure, OpenAI. o1-preview is available from OpenAI, Azure.

o3-mini

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M

o1-preview

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $60.00/1M
azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $16.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $66.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher AIME 2024 score (87.3% vs 42.0%)
Higher GPQA score (77.2% vs 73.3%)
Higher LiveBench score (84.6% vs 52.3%)
Higher MATH score (97.9% vs 85.5%)
Higher MGSM score (92.0% vs 90.8%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (49.3% vs 41.3%)
OpenAI
Higher MMLU score (90.8% vs 86.9%)
Higher SimpleQA score (42.4% vs 15.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
o3-mini
OpenAI
o1-preview

FAQ

Common questions about o3-mini vs o1-preview.

Which is better, o3-mini or o1-preview?

o3-mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. o3-mini is made by OpenAI and o1-preview is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does o3-mini compare to o1-preview in benchmarks?

o3-mini scores COLLIE: 98.7%, MATH: 97.9%, IFEval: 93.9%, MGSM: 92.0%, AIME 2024: 87.3%. o1-preview scores MGSM: 90.8%, MMLU: 90.8%, MATH: 85.5%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveBench: 52.3%.

Is o3-mini cheaper than o1-preview?

o3-mini is 13.6x cheaper for input tokens. o3-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via azure. o1-preview costs $15.00/M input and $60.00/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for o3-mini and o1-preview?

o3-mini supports 200K tokens and o1-preview supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between o3-mini and o1-preview?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 128K), input pricing ($1.10 vs $15.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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