OpenAI o1 vs Microsoft Phi-4
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 |
Microsoft Phi-4
MicrosoftMicrosoft's compact 14B model with strong reasoning and coding capability. Excellent value for small-scale deployments.
| Input | $0.100/M |
| Output | $0.300/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Edge deployments, local inference, budget coding |
| Benchmark | 45/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | OpenAI o1 | Microsoft Phi-4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83 | 45 | o1 leads by 38pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 80 | 38 | o1 leads by 42pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 84 | 46 | o1 leads by 38pts |
| HumanEval | 95 | 68 | o1 leads by 27pts |
| BigCodeBench | 73 | 30 | o1 leads by 43pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | Microsoft Phi-4 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $0.01 | Microsoft Phi-4 saves $2.31 (99%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $0.10 | Microsoft Phi-4 saves $17.16 (99%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $0.47 | Microsoft Phi-4 saves $85.78 (99%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $0.02 | Microsoft Phi-4 saves $4.10 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o1 | 83 | $0.181/pt | Higher cost per point |
| Microsoft Phi-4 | 45 | $0.002/pt | Better value |
Microsoft Phi-4 delivers the best value at $0.002 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
Microsoft Phi-4
- + Small model, runs locally
- - Limited capacity
Verdict
Microsoft Phi-4 is cheaper at $0.100/M, but OpenAI o1 scores higher on benchmarks (83 vs 45).
Choose Microsoft Phi-4 for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o1 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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