Claude 3.5 Haiku vs GPT-4.1 mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
Claude 3.5 Haiku
AnthropicFast, cost-effective model for high-volume tasks. Great for code review and simple queries.
| Input | $0.800/M |
| Output | $4.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Code review, high-volume tasks, simple queries |
| Benchmark | 52/100 |
GPT-4.1 mini
OpenAICost-optimized GPT-4.1 variant. Strong coding capability at budget pricing, replacing GPT-4o mini for many use cases.
| Input | $0.400/M |
| Output | $1.60/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume coding, cost-sensitive projects, automation |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Claude 3.5 Haiku | GPT-4.1 mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52 | 68 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 16pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 45 | 62 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 17pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 55 | 70 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 15pts |
| HumanEval | 75 | 86 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 11pts |
| BigCodeBench | 38 | 54 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 16pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Claude 3.5 Haiku | GPT-4.1 mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.16 | $0.06 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.10 (62%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.24 | $0.46 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.78 (63%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $6.21 | $2.30 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $3.91 (63%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.32 | $0.11 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.21 (66%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude 3.5 Haiku | 52 | $0.015/pt | Better value |
| GPT-4.1 mini | 68 | $0.022/pt | Higher cost per point |
Claude 3.5 Haiku delivers the best value at $0.015 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Claude 3.5 Haiku
- + Fastest Claude model
- + Cheapest option
- + Good for code review
- - Struggles with complex tasks
- - Limited reasoning depth
GPT-4.1 mini
- + Good value
- + Latest architecture
- - Mini variant limitations
Verdict
GPT-4.1 mini wins on both price and performance — $0.400/M input with a benchmark score of 68/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
Compare with Other Models
Claude Sonnet 4
AnthropicAnthropic's balanced model for coding and general tasks. Best price-performance ratio in the Claude family.
Claude Opus 4
AnthropicAnthropic's most powerful model. Best for complex reasoning and challenging coding tasks.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
AnthropicPrevious generation Sonnet. Still excellent for coding tasks at the same price point.
Claude 3 Opus
AnthropicFirst generation Opus. Highest reasoning capability in the Claude 3 family.
Claude 3 Sonnet
AnthropicFirst generation Sonnet. Balanced performance for general tasks.
Claude 3 Haiku
AnthropicCheapest Claude model. Fast responses for simple tasks and basic coding.