LLM·Dex
Newsletter

GPT-4.1 vs Jamba 1.5 Mini

A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.

Updated

GPT-4.1 specs · Jamba 1.5 Mini specs
Verdict by category
  • PriceJamba 1.5 Mini

    Jamba 1.5 Mini is roughly 20.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $8.00 per 1M).

  • Context windowGPT-4.1

    GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 256K, 3.9× the room for long documents and codebases.

  • BenchmarksTie

    No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.

  • ModalitiesGPT-4.1

    GPT-4.1 supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Jamba 1.5 Mini.

  • OpennessJamba 1.5 Mini

    Jamba 1.5 Mini ships open weights (Jamba Open Model License); GPT-4.1 is API-only.

It's a genuine coin-flip between GPT-4.1 and Jamba 1.5 Mini: 2 category wins each, with the rest tied. Jamba 1.5 Mini is roughly 20.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $8.00 per 1M). GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 256K, 3.9× the room for long documents and codebases.

No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-4.1 handles text, vision while Jamba 1.5 Mini handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Jamba 1.5 Mini ships open weights (Jamba Open Model License); GPT-4.1 is API-only.

GPT-4.1 is the newer of the two, released 8 months after Jamba 1.5 Mini, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-4.1 is usually picked for long context and rag workloads, while Jamba 1.5 Mini sees more deployments in long context and summarization. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.

Side-by-side specs

SpecGPT-4.1Jamba 1.5 Mini
ProviderOpenAIAI21
ReleasedApr 2025Aug 2024
Modalitiestext, visiontext
Context window1M tokens256K tokens
Max output32.8K tokens,
Input · 1M$2.00 / 1M tokens$0.20 / 1M tokens
Output · 1M$8.00 / 1M tokens$0.40 / 1M tokens
Knowledge cutoff2024-06,
Open weightsNoYes (Jamba Open Model License)
API availableYesYes

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$18.00 vs $1.20
  • Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$180 vs $12.00
  • RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$348 vs $32.40

Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $18.00 vs $1.20 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $180 vs $12.00 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $348 vs $32.40 per month, model B comes out ahead.

Price calculator

Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.

  • GPT-4.1$0.600
  • Jamba 1.5 Mini$0.040

Benchmarks compared

Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.

GPT-4.1Jamba 1.5 Mini
  • MMLU86.2
  • HumanEval90.6
Pick GPT-4.1 if

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
  • Long-context tasks, handles 1M tokens vs 256K for Jamba 1.5 Mini.
  • Multimodal needs covering vision.
Pick Jamba 1.5 Mini if

Jamba 1.5 Mini fits when…

  • 256k context at small-model price
  • Hybrid SSM-Transformer is efficient on long inputs
  • Open weights for self-hosting
  • Cost-sensitive workloads, 20.0× cheaper than GPT-4.1 on output tokens.
  • Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (Jamba Open Model License).
Don't want either?

Consider GPT-5.5

OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.

See GPT-5.5 specsGPT-4.1 vs GPT-5.5Jamba 1.5 Mini vs GPT-5.5

Frequently asked

  • Is GPT-4.1 or Jamba 1.5 Mini cheaper?
    Jamba 1.5 Mini is cheaper at $0.40 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $8.00 / 1M tokens for GPT-4.1.
  • Which has the larger context window?
    GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 256K for Jamba 1.5 Mini.
  • Is GPT-4.1 or Jamba 1.5 Mini better for coding?
    Both GPT-4.1 and Jamba 1.5 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?
    Jamba 1.5 Mini ships open weights (Jamba Open Model License). GPT-4.1 is API-only.
  • When were GPT-4.1 and Jamba 1.5 Mini released?
    GPT-4.1 was released by OpenAI on 2025-04-14. Jamba 1.5 Mini was released by AI21 on 2024-08-22.
Friday digest

The week's AI launches, in your inbox.

One short email every Friday, new models, leaks, and quietly-shipped APIs you missed.