GPT-4o mini vs GPT-5
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
GPT-4o mini specs · GPT-5 specs- PriceGPT-4o mini
GPT-4o mini is roughly 16.7× cheaper on output tokens ($0.60 vs $10.00 per 1M).
- Context windowGPT-5
GPT-5 accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksGPT-5
GPT-5 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 91.4 vs 82.0.
- ModalitiesGPT-5
GPT-5 supports 3 modalities (text, vision, audio) vs 2 for GPT-4o mini.
- OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.
On balance GPT-5 edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against GPT-4o mini's 1. GPT-4o mini is roughly 16.7× cheaper on output tokens ($0.60 vs $10.00 per 1M). GPT-5 accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× the room for long documents and codebases.
GPT-5 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 91.4 vs 82.0. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-4o mini handles text, vision while GPT-5 handles text, vision, audio, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Both are closed-weight, API-only.
GPT-5 is the newer of the two, released 13 months after GPT-4o mini, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-4o mini is usually picked for customer support and summarization workloads, while GPT-5 sees more deployments in coding llm and agents. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-4o mini | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Released | Jul 2024 | Aug 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision, audio |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 400K tokens |
| Max output | , | 128K tokens |
| Input · 1M | $0.15 / 1M tokens | $1.25 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $0.60 / 1M tokens | $10.00 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | 2024-09 |
| Open weights | No | 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 $18.75
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$13.50 vs $188
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$26.10 vs $248
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $1.35 vs $18.75 per month, model A comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $13.50 vs $188 per month, model A comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $26.10 vs $248 per month, model A comes out ahead.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- GPT-4o mini$0.045
- GPT-5$0.625
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU82.091.4
- HumanEval,96.2
- GPQA,89.4
- SWE-bench Verified,74.9
GPT-4o mini fits when…
- Cheap
- Fast
- Mature
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 16.7× cheaper than GPT-5 on output tokens.
GPT-5 fits when…
- Unified model, reasoning routed automatically per query
- Excellent tool-use and JSON-mode discipline
- Strong agent performance on SWE-bench Verified
- Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o mini.
- Multimodal needs covering audio.
Consider GPT-5.5
OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.
Frequently asked
Is GPT-4o mini or GPT-5 cheaper?
GPT-4o mini is cheaper at $0.60 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $10.00 / 1M tokens for GPT-5.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o mini.Is GPT-4o mini or GPT-5 better for coding?
Both GPT-4o mini and GPT-5 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-4o mini and GPT-5 released?
GPT-4o mini was released by OpenAI on 2024-07-18. GPT-5 was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07.
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