OpenAI o3 vs OpenAI o4-mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
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 |
OpenAI o4-mini
OpenAIUpdated mini reasoning model. Similar pricing to o3-mini with updated capabilities.
| Input | $1.10/M |
| Output | $4.40/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | General reasoning, coding tasks |
| Benchmark | 72/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | OpenAI o3 | OpenAI o4-mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85 | 72 | o3 leads by 13pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 82 | 66 | o3 leads by 16pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 88 | 74 | o3 leads by 14pts |
| HumanEval | 96 | 92 | o3 leads by 4pts |
| BigCodeBench | 74 | 56 | o3 leads by 18pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o3 | OpenAI o4-mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $1.55 | $0.17 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $1.38 (89%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $11.50 | $1.27 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $10.23 (89%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $57.50 | $6.33 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $51.17 (89%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $2.75 | $0.30 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $2.45 (89%) |
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 o3 | 85 | $0.167/pt | Higher cost per point |
| OpenAI o4-mini | 72 | $0.015/pt | Better value |
OpenAI o4-mini delivers the best value at $0.015 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o3
- + Latest reasoning model
- + Top-tier across all benchmarks
- - Very expensive
- - Slow
OpenAI o4-mini
- + Improved reasoning at mini price
- - New model, limited data
Verdict
OpenAI o4-mini is cheaper at $1.10/M, but OpenAI o3 scores higher on benchmarks (85 vs 72).
Choose OpenAI o4-mini for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o3 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
Claude Sonnet 4
AnthropicAnthropic's balanced model for coding and general tasks. Best price-performance ratio in the Claude family.
Claude Opus 4
AnthropicAnthropic's most powerful model. Best for complex reasoning and challenging coding tasks.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
AnthropicPrevious generation Sonnet. Still excellent for coding tasks at the same price point.
Claude 3.5 Haiku
AnthropicFast, cost-effective model for high-volume tasks. Great for code review and simple queries.
Claude 3 Opus
AnthropicFirst generation Opus. Highest reasoning capability in the Claude 3 family.
Claude 3 Sonnet
AnthropicFirst generation Sonnet. Balanced performance for general tasks.