GPT-4 Turbo vs O3 Mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-4 Turbo
OpenAIPrevious generation high-performance model. Good for complex reasoning tasks.
| Input | $10.00/M |
| Output | $30.00/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Complex reasoning, data extraction, analysis |
| Benchmark | 70/100 |
O3 Mini
OpenAIOpenAI's reasoning model at lower cost. Strong at math, coding, and science tasks.
| Input | $1.10/M |
| Output | $4.40/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Math, science, coding tasks requiring deep reasoning |
| Benchmark | 80/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-4 Turbo | O3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70 | 80 | o3-mini leads by 10pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 64 | 76 | o3-mini leads by 12pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 72 | 85 | o3-mini leads by 13pts |
| HumanEval | 88 | 94 | o3-mini leads by 6pts |
| BigCodeBench | 56 | 65 | o3-mini leads by 9pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-4 Turbo | O3 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $1.25 | $0.17 | O3 Mini saves $1.08 (86%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $9.50 | $1.27 | O3 Mini saves $8.23 (87%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $47.50 | $6.33 | O3 Mini saves $41.17 (87%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $2.50 | $0.30 | O3 Mini saves $2.20 (88%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 Turbo | 70 | $0.133/pt | Higher cost per point |
| O3 Mini | 80 | $0.014/pt | Better value |
O3 Mini delivers the best value at $0.014 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-4 Turbo
- + Proven model
- + Large context
- - Superseded by GPT-4o
O3 Mini
- + Excellent at competitive programming
- + Strong algorithmic reasoning
- - Optimized for reasoning, not chat
Verdict
O3 Mini wins on both price and performance — $1.10/M input with a benchmark score of 80/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
Compare with Other Models
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