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GPT-5 mini 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-5 mini specs · GPT-5 nano specs
Verdict by category
  • PriceGPT-5 nano

    GPT-5 nano is roughly 5.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $2.00 per 1M).

  • Context windowTie

    Both ship a 400K-token context window.

  • BenchmarksTie

    No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.

  • ModalitiesGPT-5 mini

    GPT-5 mini supports 3 modalities (text, vision, audio) vs 2 for GPT-5 nano.

  • OpennessTie

    Both are closed-weight, API-only.

It's a genuine coin-flip between GPT-5 mini and GPT-5 nano: 1 category wins each, with the rest tied. GPT-5 nano is roughly 5.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.40 vs $2.00 per 1M). Both ship a 400K-token context window.

No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-5 mini 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.

Both shipped within roughly a month of each other in 2025, so they share the same generation of training data and tooling. GPT-5 mini is usually picked for code completion and customer support 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

SpecGPT-5 miniGPT-5 nano
ProviderOpenAIOpenAI
ReleasedAug 2025Aug 2025
Modalitiestext, vision, audiotext, vision
Context window400K tokens400K tokens
Max output128K tokens128K tokens
Input · 1M$0.25 / 1M tokens$0.050 / 1M tokens
Output · 1M$2.00 / 1M tokens$0.40 / 1M tokens
Knowledge cutoff2024-092024-09
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$3.75 vs $0.750
  • Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$37.50 vs $7.50
  • RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$49.50 vs $9.90

Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $3.75 vs $0.750 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $37.50 vs $7.50 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $49.50 vs $9.90 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-5 mini$0.125
  • 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.

Benchmark scores not yet available. We only publish numbers we can source from official model cards or independent leaderboards, see methodology.
Pick GPT-5 mini if

GPT-5 mini fits when…

  • Excellent price-quality ratio for production workloads
  • Fast first-token latency
  • Same tool-use API surface as flagship
  • Multimodal needs covering audio.
Pick GPT-5 nano if

GPT-5 nano fits when…

  • Lowest-cost OpenAI model with vision support
  • Fast P99 latency
  • Good enough for routing and classification
  • Cost-sensitive workloads, 5.0× cheaper than GPT-5 mini 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-5 mini vs GPT-5.5GPT-5 nano vs GPT-5.5

Frequently asked

  • Is GPT-5 mini or GPT-5 nano cheaper?
    GPT-5 nano is cheaper at $0.40 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $2.00 / 1M tokens for GPT-5 mini.
  • Which has the larger context window?
    Both GPT-5 mini and GPT-5 nano ship a 400K-token context window.
  • Is GPT-5 mini or GPT-5 nano better for coding?
    Both GPT-5 mini 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-5 mini and GPT-5 nano released?
    GPT-5 mini was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07.
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