o4 for math
o4 is ranked #5 on LLMDex's llm for math ranking out of 6 models we track for this use case. Below, the specific reasons it slots where it does, and when you should reach for an alternative.
Updated
At a glance
- Rank
- #5 of 6
- Context
- 200K tokens
- Output / 1M
- Pricing not published
- Released
- Dec 2025
Why o4 fits this task
Three things about o4 that map directly onto what this task rewards: Exceptional performance on hard math and reasoning benchmarks; Strong scientific reasoning. Beyond the task-specific fit, o4 also brings good at multi-step planning and verification, both of which compound when the workload broadens.
The criteria this task rewards
LLMDex ranks best llm for math on 5 criteria , these are the axes the ranking uses, in priority order:
- MATH-500, AIME, USAMO, Putnam scores
- Step-by-step reasoning quality (not just final answer)
- Symbolic vs. numerical handling
- Tool-use for code-execution / Wolfram integration
- Latency on reasoning models, math thinking is slow
How o4 scores on each axis
Where o4 costs you: slow, reasoning tokens take real wall-clock time. For most teams this is acceptable on this workload, the value of the strengths above outweighs the cost. For cost-bound workloads or teams with strict latency budgets, run an eval against the next two ranked models on real data before committing.
Strengths that pay off here
- Exceptional performance on hard math and reasoning benchmarks
- Good at multi-step planning and verification
- Strong scientific reasoning
Tracked weaknesses
- Slow, reasoning tokens take real wall-clock time
- Expensive on reasoning-heavy queries
- Overkill for chat or simple tasks
When to pick something else
If you can pay slightly more or accept slightly different tradeoffs, DeepSeek-R1 from DeepSeek ranks one position higher and tends to win on the hardest cases. First open-weight reasoning model to match o1, the release that proved RL-from-scratch reasoning training was reproducible.
Run o4 now
Skip setup. Deploy via a hosted provider in under a minute.
Other models for math
- o3 for math
OpenAI's flagship reasoning model, set the bar for hard math, GPQA, and agent benchmarks in 2025.
Read guide - GPT-5.5 for math
OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.
Read guide - Claude Opus 4.7 for math
Anthropic's mid-2026 flagship, ahead on SWE-bench, agent reliability, and writing quality.
Read guide - DeepSeek-R1 for math
First open-weight reasoning model to match o1, the release that proved RL-from-scratch reasoning training was reproducible.
Read guide - Gemini 3 Pro for math
Google's late-2025 flagship, set new benchmarks on long-context, vision, and reasoning at competitive pricing.
Read guide
o4 for other use cases
Direct comparisons
Frequently asked
Is o4 good for math?
o4 is ranked #5 on LLMDex's math list. OpenAI's late-2025 standalone reasoning model, an evolution of o3 with deeper chain-of-thought and stronger multimodal reasoning.How much does o4 cost for math?
OpenAI has not published per-token pricing for o4 at the time of writing.What's a cheaper alternative to o4 for math?
The next ranked model on this task is Gemini 3 Pro. Compare both before committing.When should I NOT use o4 for math?
Tracked weakness: Slow, reasoning tokens take real wall-clock time. If that constraint is binding for your workload, the next-ranked model on this task is the safer pick.
Intelligence, distilled weekly.
One short email every Friday, new model launches, leaderboard moves, and pricing drops. Curated by hand. Free, no spam.