Last verified 2026-03-19 (left) · 2025-09-22 (right)

GPT-5.4 nano vs o4-mini — Pricing & Capability Comparison

GPT-5.4 nano charges $0.20 per million input tokens and $1.25 per million output tokens. o4-mini comes in at $1.10 / $4.40. Context windows span 400K vs 200K tokens respectively.

TL;DR — Quick Comparison

  • GPT-5.4 nano is cheaper overall: $1.45 per 1M tokens (in+out) vs $5.50 for o4-mini — saves $4.05 per 1M tokens
  • Input pricing: GPT-5.4 nano $0.20/1M vs o4-mini $1.10/1M
  • Output pricing: GPT-5.4 nano $1.25/1M vs o4-mini $4.40/1M
  • Context window: GPT-5.4 nano offers more (400K vs 200K)
  • Use our calculator below to estimate costs for your specific usage pattern

Input price (per 1M)

GPT-5.4 nano

$0.20

o4-mini

$1.10

GPT-5.4 nano leads here

Output price (per 1M)

GPT-5.4 nano

$1.25

o4-mini

$4.40

GPT-5.4 nano leads here

Context window

GPT-5.4 nano

400,000 tokens

o4-mini

200,000 tokens

GPT-5.4 nano leads here

Cached input

GPT-5.4 nano

$0.020

o4-mini

Not published

GPT-5.4 nano leads here

Which one should you choose?

Skip the spreadsheet if you just need the practical takeaway. Use these rules when deciding between GPT-5.4 nano and o4-mini.

Choose GPT-5.4 nano if input tokens dominate your bill

GPT-5.4 nano has the lower input rate, which usually matters most for chat, RAG, classification, and long-prompt workflows where prompt volume stays much larger than generated output.

Choose GPT-5.4 nano if you generate long answers

GPT-5.4 nano is cheaper on output tokens, so it tends to win for report generation, coding assistance, reasoning traces, and any workflow where completions are long.

Choose GPT-5.4 nano if context size is the blocker

GPT-5.4 nano offers the larger published context window, which is more important than small pricing differences when you need to fit large files, long chats, or multi-document prompts into one request.

Cost comparison for 10K-token workloads

Side-by-side pricing for identical workloads (10,000 total tokens per request) across different distributions.

ScenarioGPT-5.4 nanoo4-miniGPT-5.4 nano cached
Balanced conversation
50% input · 50% output
$0.0073$0.0275$0.0064
Input-heavy workflow
80% input · 20% output
$0.0041$0.0176$0.0027
Generation heavy
30% input · 70% output
$0.0094$0.0341$0.0088
Cached system prompt
90% cached input · 10% fresh output
$0.0030$0.0143$0.0014

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper: GPT-5.4 nano or o4-mini?

GPT-5.4 nano is cheaper for input tokens at $0.20 per 1M tokens compared to $1.10. For output, GPT-5.4 nano costs $1.25 per 1M tokens versus $4.40 for o4-mini.

What is the cost per 1M tokens for GPT-5.4 nano?

GPT-5.4 nano pricing: $0.20 per 1M input tokens and $1.25 per 1M output tokens. Context window: 400,000 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-5.4 nano costs $0.0002 input / $0.0013 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?

GPT-5.4 nano offers 400,000 tokens (400K) versus 200K for o4-mini.

What is the estimated monthly cost for typical usage?

For a typical workload of 10M input + 2M output tokens per month: GPT-5.4 nano would cost approximately $4.50, while o4-mini would cost $19.80. GPT-5.4 nano is more economical for this usage pattern.

Do these models support prompt caching?

GPT-5.4 nano supports prompt caching at $0.020 per 1M cached tokens, reducing costs for repeated context by up to 90%. o4-mini does not publish cached pricing.

Which model is best for my use case?

Choose GPT-5.4 nano for cost-sensitive applications with high input volume. Choose GPT-5.4 nano if you need 400K context for long documents or conversations. Consider prompt caching if you have repeated context. Use our token calculator to model your specific usage pattern.

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