OpenAI o1 vs OpenAI o3
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
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 |
OpenAI o3
OpenAINext generation reasoning model. Improved coding and math over o1.
| Input | $10.00/M |
| Output | $40.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Advanced coding, complex problem-solving |
| Benchmark | 85/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | OpenAI o1 | OpenAI o3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83 | 85 | o3 leads by 2pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 80 | 82 | o3 leads by 2pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 84 | 88 | o3 leads by 4pts |
| HumanEval | 95 | 96 | o3 leads by 1pts |
| BigCodeBench | 73 | 74 | o3 leads by 1pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | OpenAI o3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $1.55 | OpenAI o3 saves $0.77 (33%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $11.50 | OpenAI o3 saves $5.75 (33%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $57.50 | OpenAI o3 saves $28.75 (33%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $2.75 | OpenAI o3 saves $1.38 (33%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o1 | 83 | $0.181/pt | Higher cost per point |
| OpenAI o3 | 85 | $0.167/pt | Better value |
OpenAI o3 delivers the best value at $0.167 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
OpenAI o3
- + Latest reasoning model
- + Top-tier across all benchmarks
- - Very expensive
- - Slow
Verdict
OpenAI o3 wins on both price and performance — $10.00/M input with a benchmark score of 85/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
Compare with Other Models
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Claude 3.5 Haiku
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Claude 3 Opus
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Claude 3 Sonnet
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