GPT-4o vs GPT-5 nano
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 specs · GPT-5 nano specs- PriceGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano is roughly 25.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $10.00 per 1M).
- Context windowGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× 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
GPT-4o supports 3 modalities (text, vision, audio) vs 2 for GPT-5 nano.
- OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.
On balance GPT-5 nano edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against GPT-4o's 1. GPT-5 nano is roughly 25.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $10.00 per 1M). GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× 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 handles text, vision, audio while GPT-5 nano handles text, vision, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Both are closed-weight, API-only.
GPT-5 nano is the newer of the two, released 15 months after GPT-4o, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-4o is usually picked for chatbots and vision workloads, while GPT-5 nano sees more deployments in cheapest llm and fastest 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 | GPT-5 nano |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Released | May 2024 | Aug 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision, audio | text, vision |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 400K tokens |
| Max output | , | 128K tokens |
| Input · 1M | $2.50 / 1M tokens | $0.050 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $10.00 / 1M tokens | $0.40 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | 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$22.50 vs $0.750
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$225 vs $7.50
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$435 vs $9.90
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $22.50 vs $0.750 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $225 vs $7.50 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $435 vs $9.90 per month, model B 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$0.750
- GPT-5 nano$0.025
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU88.7
- HumanEval90.2
GPT-4o fits when…
- Native multimodal
- Mature SDK and tooling
- Multimodal needs covering audio.
GPT-5 nano fits when…
- Lowest-cost OpenAI model with vision support
- Fast P99 latency
- Good enough for routing and classification
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 25.0× cheaper than GPT-4o on output tokens.
- Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o.
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 or GPT-5 nano cheaper?
GPT-5 nano is cheaper at $0.40 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $10.00 / 1M tokens for GPT-4o.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for GPT-4o.Is GPT-4o or GPT-5 nano better for coding?
Both GPT-4o and GPT-5 nano 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 and GPT-5 nano released?
GPT-4o was released by OpenAI on 2024-05-13. GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07.
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