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GPT-4.1 vs Yi-Lightning

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 · Yi-Lightning specs
Verdict by category
  • PriceYi-Lightning

    Yi-Lightning is roughly 57.1× cheaper on output tokens ($0.14 vs $8.00 per 1M).

  • Context windowGPT-4.1

    GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 16K, 62.5× 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 Yi-Lightning.

  • OpennessTie

    Both are closed-weight, API-only.

On balance GPT-4.1 edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against Yi-Lightning's 1. Yi-Lightning is roughly 57.1× cheaper on output tokens ($0.14 vs $8.00 per 1M). GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 16K, 62.5× 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 Yi-Lightning handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Both are closed-weight, API-only.

GPT-4.1 is the newer of the two, released 6 months after Yi-Lightning, 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 Yi-Lightning sees more deployments in chinese llm and cheapest llm. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.

Side-by-side specs

SpecGPT-4.1Yi-Lightning
ProviderOpenAIOther
ReleasedApr 2025Oct 2024
Modalitiestext, visiontext
Context window1M tokens16K tokens
Max output32.8K tokens,
Input · 1M$2.00 / 1M tokens$0.14 / 1M tokens
Output · 1M$8.00 / 1M tokens$0.14 / 1M tokens
Knowledge cutoff2024-06,
Open weightsNoNo
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 $0.630
  • Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$180 vs $6.30
  • RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$348 vs $21.84

Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $18.00 vs $0.630 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $180 vs $6.30 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $348 vs $21.84 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
  • Yi-Lightning$0.021

Benchmarks compared

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

GPT-4.1Yi-Lightning
  • 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 16K for Yi-Lightning.
  • Multimodal needs covering vision.
Pick Yi-Lightning if

Yi-Lightning fits when…

  • Cheap
  • Strong Chinese
  • Fast
  • Cost-sensitive workloads, 57.1× cheaper than GPT-4.1 on output tokens.
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-5.5Yi-Lightning vs GPT-5.5

Frequently asked

  • Is GPT-4.1 or Yi-Lightning cheaper?
    Yi-Lightning is cheaper at $0.14 / 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 16K for Yi-Lightning.
  • Is GPT-4.1 or Yi-Lightning better for coding?
    Both GPT-4.1 and Yi-Lightning 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?
    Neither model ships open weights, both are accessible only via their respective providers' APIs.
  • When were GPT-4.1 and Yi-Lightning released?
    GPT-4.1 was released by OpenAI on 2025-04-14. Yi-Lightning was released by Other on 2024-10-16.
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