Last verified 2025-09-22 (left) · 2025-09-22 (right)
GPT-4.1 mini vs o4-mini — Pricing & Capability Comparison
GPT-4.1 mini charges $0.40 per million input tokens and $1.60 per million output tokens. o4-mini comes in at $1.10 / $4.40. Context windows span 128K vs 200K tokens respectively.
TL;DR — Quick Comparison
- ✓GPT-4.1 mini is cheaper overall: $2.00 per 1M tokens (in+out) vs $5.50 for o4-mini — saves $3.50 per 1M tokens
- ✓Input pricing: GPT-4.1 mini $0.40/1M vs o4-mini $1.10/1M
- ✓Output pricing: GPT-4.1 mini $1.60/1M vs o4-mini $4.40/1M
- ✓Context window: o4-mini offers more (200K vs 128K)
- ✓Use our calculator below to estimate costs for your specific usage pattern
Input price (per 1M)
GPT-4.1 mini
$0.40
o4-mini
$1.10
GPT-4.1 mini leads here
Output price (per 1M)
GPT-4.1 mini
$1.60
o4-mini
$4.40
GPT-4.1 mini leads here
Context window
GPT-4.1 mini
128,000 tokens
o4-mini
200,000 tokens
o4-mini leads here
Cached input
GPT-4.1 mini
Not published
o4-mini
Not published
No published data
Cost comparison for 10K-token workloads
Side-by-side pricing for identical workloads (10,000 total tokens per request) across different distributions.
| Scenario | GPT-4.1 mini | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
Balanced conversation 50% input · 50% output | $0.0100 | $0.0275 |
Input-heavy workflow 80% input · 20% output | $0.0064 | $0.0176 |
Generation heavy 30% input · 70% output | $0.0124 | $0.0341 |
Cached system prompt 90% cached input · 10% fresh output | $0.0052 | $0.0143 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: GPT-4.1 mini or o4-mini?
GPT-4.1 mini is cheaper for input tokens at $0.40 per 1M tokens compared to $1.10. For output, GPT-4.1 mini costs $1.60 per 1M tokens versus $4.40 for o4-mini.
What is the cost per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini?
GPT-4.1 mini pricing: $0.40 per 1M input tokens and $1.60 per 1M output tokens. Context window: 128,000 tokens.
What is the cost per 1M tokens for o4-mini?
o4-mini pricing: $1.10 per 1M input tokens and $4.40 per 1M output tokens. Context window: 200,000 tokens.
How much does it cost per 1K tokens?
Per 1K tokens: GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.0004 input / $0.0016 output. o4-mini costs $0.0011 input / $0.0044 output. This is useful for calculating small-scale usage costs.
Which model supports a larger context window?
o4-mini offers 200,000 tokens (200K) versus 128K for GPT-4.1 mini.
What is the estimated monthly cost for typical usage?
For a typical workload of 10M input + 2M output tokens per month: GPT-4.1 mini would cost approximately $7.20, while o4-mini would cost $19.80. GPT-4.1 mini is more economical for this usage pattern.
Do these models support prompt caching?
GPT-4.1 mini does not publish cached pricing. o4-mini does not publish cached pricing.
Which model is best for my use case?
Choose GPT-4.1 mini for cost-sensitive applications with high input volume. Choose o4-mini if you need 200K context for long documents or conversations. Consider prompt caching if you have repeated context. Use our token calculator to model your specific usage pattern.