Command R (08-2024) vs GPT-4o mini
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
- PriceTie
Both land near $0.60 / 1M output tokens, call it a wash on cost.
- Context windowTie
Both ship a 128K-token context window.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesGPT-4o mini
GPT-4o mini supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Command R (08-2024).
- OpennessCommand R (08-2024)
Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); GPT-4o mini is API-only.
It's a genuine coin-flip between Command R (08-2024) and GPT-4o mini: 1 category wins each, with the rest tied. Both land near $0.60 / 1M output tokens, call it a wash on cost. Both ship a 128K-token context window.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, Command R (08-2024) handles text while GPT-4o mini handles text, vision, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); GPT-4o mini is API-only.
Command R (08-2024) is the newer of the two, released 1 months after GPT-4o mini, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Command R (08-2024) is usually picked for rag and multilingual workloads, while GPT-4o mini sees more deployments in customer support and summarization. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Command R (08-2024) | GPT-4o mini |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere | OpenAI |
| Released | Aug 2024 | Jul 2024 |
| Modalities | text | text, vision |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.15 / 1M tokens | $0.15 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $0.60 / 1M tokens | $0.60 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | , |
| Open weights | Yes (CC-BY-NC 4.0) | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$1.35 vs $1.35
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$13.50 vs $13.50
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$26.10 vs $26.10
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: both models cost about $1.35 a month, call it a tie. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: both models cost about $13.50 a month, call it a tie. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: both models cost about $26.10 a month, call it a tie.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Command R (08-2024)$0.045
- GPT-4o mini$0.045
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU,82.0
Command R (08-2024) fits when…
- Improved tool-use
- Strong multilingual
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0).
GPT-4o mini fits when…
- Cheap
- Fast
- Mature
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Consider Command R+ (08-2024)
Cohere's flagship optimized for RAG and tool use in enterprise settings.
Frequently asked
Is Command R (08-2024) or GPT-4o mini cheaper?
Both Command R (08-2024) and GPT-4o mini are priced equivalently at $0.60 / 1M tokens per million output tokens.Which has the larger context window?
Both Command R (08-2024) and GPT-4o mini ship a 128K-token context window.Is Command R (08-2024) or GPT-4o mini better for coding?
Both Command R (08-2024) and GPT-4o mini are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0). GPT-4o mini is API-only.When were Command R (08-2024) and GPT-4o mini released?
Command R (08-2024) was released by Cohere on 2024-08-30. GPT-4o mini was released by OpenAI on 2024-07-18.
The week's AI launches, in your inbox.
One short email every Friday, new models, leaks, and quietly-shipped APIs you missed.