GPT-4o mini vs OpenAI o1
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-4o mini
OpenAIAffordable small model. Fast and cost-effective for high-volume coding tasks.
| Input | $0.150/M |
| Output | $0.600/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding, cost-sensitive projects |
| Benchmark | 58/100 |
OpenAI o1
OpenAIReasoning model optimized for complex problem-solving. Excels at math, science, and advanced coding.
| Input | $15.00/M |
| Output | $60.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Complex math, advanced coding, scientific reasoning |
| Benchmark | 83/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-4o mini | OpenAI o1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58 | 83 | o1 leads by 25pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 50 | 80 | o1 leads by 30pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 60 | 84 | o1 leads by 24pts |
| HumanEval | 78 | 95 | o1 leads by 17pts |
| BigCodeBench | 44 | 73 | o1 leads by 29pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-4o mini | OpenAI o1 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.02 | $2.32 | GPT-4o mini saves $2.30 (99%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.18 | $17.25 | GPT-4o mini saves $17.07 (99%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $0.92 | $86.25 | GPT-4o mini saves $85.33 (99%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.05 | $4.13 | GPT-4o mini saves $4.08 (99%) |
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-4o mini | 58 | $0.003/pt | Better value |
| OpenAI o1 | 83 | $0.181/pt | Higher cost per point |
GPT-4o mini delivers the best value at $0.003 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-4o mini
- + Very cheap
- + Fast responses
- - Struggles with multi-step reasoning
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
Verdict
GPT-4o mini is cheaper at $0.150/M, but OpenAI o1 scores higher on benchmarks (83 vs 58).
Choose GPT-4o mini for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o1 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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Claude 3.5 Haiku
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