GPT-4.1 Mini vs GPT-5 Mini
| Signal | GPT-4.1 Mini | Delta | GPT-5 Mini |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 83 | -17 | |
Benchmarks | 39 | +39 | |
Pricing | 98 | +0 | |
Context window size | 96 | +7 | |
Recency | 33 | -21 | |
Output Capacity | 72 | -9 | |
| Overall Result | 3 wins | of 6 | 3 wins |
Score History
44.2
current score
GPT-4.1 Mini
right now
40.5
current score
GPT-4.1 Mini
OpenAI
GPT-5 Mini
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 Mini saves you $5.00/month
That's $60.00/year compared to GPT-5 Mini at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 Mini | GPT-5 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 44 | 41 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Rank | #183 | #185 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Quality Rank | #183 | #185 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Adoption Rank | #183 | #185 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 1048K | 400K | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Pricing | $0.40/$1.60/M | $0.25/$2.00/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 83 | 100 | GPT-5 Mini |
| Benchmarks | 39 | -- | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Pricing | 98 | 98 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Context window size | 96 | 89 | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Recency | 33 | 54 | GPT-5 Mini |
| Output Capacity | 72 | 82 | GPT-5 Mini |
Our score (0-100) is driven by benchmark performance (90%) from Arena Elo ratings, MMLU, GPQA, HumanEval, SWE-bench, and 15+ standardized evaluations. Capabilities and context window serve as tiebreakers (10%). Learn more about our methodology.
Scores 44/100 (rank #183), placing it in the top 37% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 41/100 (rank #185), placing it in the top 37% of all 290 models tracked.
With only a 4-point gap, these models are in the same performance tier. The practical difference in output quality is minimal - your choice should depend on pricing, latency requirements, and specific feature needs.
Choose GPT-4.1 Mini when you need:
- Processing long documents or large codebases (1048K token context)
Choose GPT-5 Mini when you need:
- Step-by-step reasoning and chain-of-thought problem solving
GPT-4.1 Mini offers 11% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $30.00/month with GPT-4.1 Mini vs $33.75/month with GPT-5 Mini - a $3.75 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Based on overall model capabilities and architecture for coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Suitable for user-facing chat with competitive response times. GPT-4.1 Mini also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (1048K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($1.60/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (44/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
Image understanding & OCR
Supports vision input - can analyze screenshots, diagrams, photos, and scanned documents directly
GPT-4.1 Mini has a moderate advantage with a 3.700000000000003-point lead in composite score. It wins on more signal dimensions, but GPT-5 Mini has specific strengths that could make it the better choice for certain workflows.
By Use Case
Best for Quality
GPT-4.1 Mini
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
GPT-4.1 Mini
11% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
GPT-4.1 Mini
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
GPT-4.1 Mini
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
GPT-4.1 Mini
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by OpenAI
- Choose for Quality - Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
- Choose for Cost - 11% lower pricing; better value at scale
- Choose for Reliability - Higher uptime and faster response speeds
- Choose for Prototyping - Stronger community support and better developer experience
- Choose for Production - Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
| Capability | GPT-4.1 Mini | GPT-5 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoningdiffers | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
GPT-4.1 Mini
OpenAI
GPT-5 Mini
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 Mini saves you $0.2100/month
That's 7% cheaper than GPT-5 Mini at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | GPT-4.1 Mini | GPT-5 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 1.0M | 400K |
| Max Output Tokens | 32,768 | 128,000 |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Created | Apr 14, 2025 | Aug 7, 2025 |