GPT-4.1 vs GPT-5 Codex
| Signal | GPT-4.1 | Delta | GPT-5 Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 83 | -17 | |
Benchmarks | 70 | -17 | |
Pricing | 92 | +2 | |
Context window size | 96 | +7 | |
Recency | 47 | -29 | |
Output Capacity | 75 | -10 | |
| Overall Result | 2 wins | of 6 | 4 wins |
Score History
67.7
current score
GPT-5 Codex
right now
88.7
current score
GPT-4.1
OpenAI
GPT-5 Codex
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 saves you $25.00/month
That's $300.00/year compared to GPT-5 Codex at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 | GPT-5 Codex | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68 | 89 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Rank | #127 | #35 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Quality Rank | #127 | #35 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Adoption Rank | #127 | #35 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 1048K | 400K | GPT-4.1 |
| Pricing | $2.00/$8.00/M | $1.25/$10.00/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 83 | 100 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Benchmarks | 70 | 88 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Pricing | 92 | 90 | GPT-4.1 |
| Context window size | 96 | 89 | GPT-4.1 |
| Recency | 47 | 77 | GPT-5 Codex |
| Output Capacity | 75 | 85 | GPT-5 Codex |
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 68/100 (rank #127), placing it in the top 57% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 89/100 (rank #35), placing it in the top 88% of all 290 models tracked.
GPT-5 Codex has a 21-point advantage, which typically translates to noticeably stronger performance on complex reasoning, code generation, and multi-step tasks.
Choose GPT-4.1 when you need:
- Processing long documents or large codebases (1048K token context)
Choose GPT-5 Codex when you need:
- Step-by-step reasoning and chain-of-thought problem solving
GPT-5 Codex offers 11% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $150.00/month with GPT-4.1 vs $168.75/month with GPT-5 Codex - a $18.75 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 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 ($8.00/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (89/100) 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-5 Codex clearly outperforms GPT-4.1 with a significant 21-point lead. For most general use cases, GPT-5 Codex is the stronger choice. However, GPT-4.1 may still excel in niche scenarios.
By Use Case
Best for Quality
GPT-4.1
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
GPT-4.1
11% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
GPT-4.1
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
GPT-4.1
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
GPT-4.1
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 | GPT-5 Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoningdiffers | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
GPT-4.1
OpenAI
GPT-5 Codex
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 saves you $1.05/month
That's 7% cheaper than GPT-5 Codex 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 | GPT-5 Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 1.0M | 400K |
| Max Output Tokens | 32,768 | 128,000 |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Created | Apr 14, 2025 | Sep 23, 2025 |