OpenAI o1 vs O3 Mini
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 |
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 | OpenAI o1 | O3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83 | 80 | o1 leads by 3pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 80 | 76 | o1 leads by 4pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 84 | 85 | o3-mini leads by 1pts |
| HumanEval | 95 | 94 | o1 leads by 1pts |
| BigCodeBench | 73 | 65 | o1 leads by 8pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | O3 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $0.17 | O3 Mini saves $2.15 (93%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $1.27 | O3 Mini saves $15.98 (93%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $6.33 | O3 Mini saves $79.92 (93%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $0.30 | O3 Mini saves $3.82 (93%) |
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 |
| O3 Mini | 80 | $0.014/pt | Better value |
O3 Mini delivers the best value at $0.014 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
O3 Mini
- + Excellent at competitive programming
- + Strong algorithmic reasoning
- - Optimized for reasoning, not chat
Verdict
O3 Mini is cheaper at $1.10/M, but OpenAI o1 scores higher on benchmarks (83 vs 80).
Choose O3 Mini for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o1 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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