GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3-72B
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 · Qwen3-72B specs- PriceGPT-4o mini
GPT-4o mini publishes pricing ($0.60 / 1M output tokens) while Qwen3-72B does not.
- Context windowTie
Both ship a 128K-token context window.
- BenchmarksQwen3-72B
Qwen3-72B leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 84.0 vs 82.0.
- ModalitiesGPT-4o mini
GPT-4o mini supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Qwen3-72B.
- OpennessQwen3-72B
Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0); GPT-4o mini is API-only.
It's a genuine coin-flip between GPT-4o mini and Qwen3-72B: 2 category wins each, with the rest tied. GPT-4o mini publishes pricing ($0.60 / 1M output tokens) while Qwen3-72B does not. Both ship a 128K-token context window.
Qwen3-72B leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 84.0 vs 82.0. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-4o mini handles text, vision while Qwen3-72B handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0); GPT-4o mini is API-only.
Qwen3-72B is the newer of the two, released 10 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 Qwen3-72B sees more deployments in open source llm and commercial use llm. 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 | Qwen3-72B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba |
| Released | Jul 2024 | Apr 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.15 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Output · 1M | $0.60 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | , |
| Open weights | No | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| 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 ,
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$13.50 vs ,
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$26.10 vs ,
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates).
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
- Qwen3-72BPricing unavailable
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU82.084.0
GPT-4o mini fits when…
- Cheap
- Fast
- Mature
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Qwen3-72B fits when…
- Apache-2.0 license
- Strongest open-weight on Chinese
- Strong multilingual coverage
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (Apache-2.0).
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 Qwen3-72B cheaper?
Per-token pricing isn't published for at least one of these models, check each model's spec page for current rates.Which has the larger context window?
Both GPT-4o mini and Qwen3-72B ship a 128K-token context window.Is GPT-4o mini or Qwen3-72B better for coding?
Both GPT-4o mini and Qwen3-72B 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?
Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0). GPT-4o mini is API-only.When were GPT-4o mini and Qwen3-72B released?
GPT-4o mini was released by OpenAI on 2024-07-18. Qwen3-72B was released by Alibaba on 2025-04-29.
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