Phi 4 vs Phi 4 Mini
Phi 4 leads the LLM Stats Score 6.0 to -3.6.
Microsoft · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Phi 4 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 6.0 to -3.6, ranking #274 overall.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Phi 4 wins 6; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Phi 4
- overall performance matters — it scores 6.0 and ranks #274 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 6 of 6 exact shared results
Choose Phi 4 Mini
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
13 reported for Phi 4 · 17 for Phi 4 Mini
Phi 4 outperforms in 6 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
Phi 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Phi 4 has 10.9B more parameters than Phi 4 Mini, making it 282.8% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Phi 4 specifies input context (16,000 tokens). Only Phi 4 specifies output context (16,000 tokens).
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under MIT.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
MIT
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12, while Phi 4 Mini was released on 2025-02-01.
Phi 4 Mini is 2 months newer than Phi 4.
Dec 12, 2024
1.7 years ago
Feb 1, 2025
1.6 years ago
1mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Both models have the same knowledge cutoff date of 2024-06-01.
They should have similar awareness of historical events and information up to this date.
Jun 2024
Jun 2024
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Phi 4 and Phi 4 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Phi 4 vs Phi 4 Mini.