OpenAI o4-mini vs O3 Mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
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 |
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 o4-mini | O3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72 | 80 | o3-mini leads by 8pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 66 | 76 | o3-mini leads by 10pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 74 | 85 | o3-mini leads by 11pts |
| HumanEval | 92 | 94 | o3-mini leads by 2pts |
| BigCodeBench | 56 | 65 | o3-mini leads by 9pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o4-mini | O3 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.17 | $0.17 | OpenAI o4-mini saves <$0.01 (0%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.27 | $1.27 | OpenAI o4-mini saves <$0.01 (0%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $6.33 | $6.33 | OpenAI o4-mini saves <$0.01 (0%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.30 | $0.30 | OpenAI o4-mini saves <$0.01 (0%) |
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 o4-mini | 72 | $0.015/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 o4-mini
- + Improved reasoning at mini price
- - New model, limited data
O3 Mini
- + Excellent at competitive programming
- + Strong algorithmic reasoning
- - Optimized for reasoning, not chat
Verdict
OpenAI o4-mini is cheaper at $1.10/M, but O3 Mini scores higher on benchmarks (80 vs 72).
Choose OpenAI o4-mini for cost-sensitive projects, O3 Mini 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.