OpenAI o1 vs Yi-Lightning
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 |
Yi-Lightning
01.ai01.ai's cost-effective model. Competitive Chinese-English bilingual model at very low prices.
| Input | $0.150/M |
| Output | $0.600/M |
| Context | 16K tokens |
| Best For | Chinese-English translation, cost-sensitive applications |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | Yi-Lightning | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $0.02 | Yi-Lightning saves $2.30 (99%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $0.17 | Yi-Lightning saves $17.08 (99%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $0.86 | Yi-Lightning saves $85.39 (99%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $0.04 | Yi-Lightning saves $4.08 (99%) |
Verdict
Yi-Lightning wins on both price and performance — $0.150/M input with a benchmark score of N/A/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
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