Command R+ (08-2024) vs GPT-4.1
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
Command R+ (08-2024) specs · GPT-4.1 specs- PriceGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 is roughly 1.3× cheaper on output tokens ($8.00 vs $10.00 per 1M).
- Context windowGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 86.2 vs 75.7.
- ModalitiesGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 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-4.1 is API-only.
On balance GPT-4.1 edges ahead, winning 4 of 5 categories against Command R+ (08-2024)'s 1. GPT-4.1 is roughly 1.3× cheaper on output tokens ($8.00 vs $10.00 per 1M). GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× the room for long documents and codebases.
GPT-4.1 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 86.2 vs 75.7. They differ in modality coverage, Command R+ (08-2024) handles text while GPT-4.1 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-4.1 is API-only.
GPT-4.1 is the newer of the two, released 8 months after Command R+ (08-2024), which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Command R+ (08-2024) is usually picked for rag and data extraction workloads, while GPT-4.1 sees more deployments in long context and rag. 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-4.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere | OpenAI |
| Released | Aug 2024 | Apr 2025 |
| Modalities | text | text, vision |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 1M tokens |
| Max output | , | 32.8K tokens |
| Input · 1M | $2.50 / 1M tokens | $2.00 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $10.00 / 1M tokens | $8.00 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | 2024-06 |
| 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$22.50 vs $18.00
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$225 vs $180
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$435 vs $348
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $22.50 vs $18.00 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $225 vs $180 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $435 vs $348 per month, model B comes out ahead.
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)$0.750
- GPT-4.1$0.600
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU75.786.2
- HumanEval,90.6
Command R+ (08-2024) fits when…
- RAG-tuned
- Citation generation
- Enterprise tooling
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0).
GPT-4.1 fits when…
- 1M-token context window, strong for long-doc workloads
- Mature SDK and tooling integrations
- Reliable JSON-mode and function-calling
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 1.3× cheaper than Command R+ (08-2024) on output tokens.
- Long-context tasks, handles 1M tokens vs 128K for Command R+ (08-2024).
Consider Command R
Cohere's mid-tier RAG-optimized model, affordable and reliable on retrieval workloads.
Frequently asked
Is Command R+ (08-2024) or GPT-4.1 cheaper?
GPT-4.1 is cheaper at $8.00 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $10.00 / 1M tokens for Command R+ (08-2024).Which has the larger context window?
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K for Command R+ (08-2024).Is Command R+ (08-2024) or GPT-4.1 better for coding?
Both Command R+ (08-2024) and GPT-4.1 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-4.1 is API-only.When were Command R+ (08-2024) and GPT-4.1 released?
Command R+ (08-2024) was released by Cohere on 2024-08-30. GPT-4.1 was released by OpenAI on 2025-04-14.
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