GPT-4o mini 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-4o mini specs · Jamba 1.5 Mini specs- PriceJamba 1.5 Mini
Jamba 1.5 Mini is roughly 1.5× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $0.60 per 1M).
- Context windowJamba 1.5 Mini
Jamba 1.5 Mini accepts 256K tokens vs 128K, 2.0× 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-4o mini
GPT-4o mini 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-4o mini is API-only.
On balance Jamba 1.5 Mini edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against GPT-4o mini's 1. Jamba 1.5 Mini is roughly 1.5× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $0.60 per 1M). Jamba 1.5 Mini accepts 256K tokens vs 128K, 2.0× 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-4o mini 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-4o mini is API-only.
Jamba 1.5 Mini 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. GPT-4o mini is usually picked for customer support and summarization 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
| Spec | GPT-4o mini | Jamba 1.5 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | AI21 |
| Released | Jul 2024 | Aug 2024 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 256K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.15 / 1M tokens | $0.20 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $0.60 / 1M tokens | $0.40 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | , |
| Open weights | No | Yes (Jamba Open Model License) |
| 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 $1.20
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$13.50 vs $12.00
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$26.10 vs $32.40
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $1.35 vs $1.20 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $13.50 vs $12.00 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $26.10 vs $32.40 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
- 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.
- MMLU82.0
GPT-4o mini fits when…
- Cheap
- Fast
- Mature
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
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, 1.5× cheaper than GPT-4o mini on output tokens.
- Long-context tasks, handles 256K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o mini.
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 Jamba 1.5 Mini cheaper?
Jamba 1.5 Mini is cheaper at $0.40 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $0.60 / 1M tokens for GPT-4o mini.Which has the larger context window?
Jamba 1.5 Mini accepts 256K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o mini.Is GPT-4o mini or Jamba 1.5 Mini better for coding?
Both GPT-4o mini 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-4o mini is API-only.When were GPT-4o mini and Jamba 1.5 Mini released?
GPT-4o mini was released by OpenAI on 2024-07-18. Jamba 1.5 Mini was released by AI21 on 2024-08-22.
The week's AI launches, in your inbox.
One short email every Friday, new models, leaks, and quietly-shipped APIs you missed.