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Model comparison

GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-4o

Data verified

Head-to-head evidence from 13 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.

43.1/100
Margin
2.4pts
← winning
OpenAI
40.73/100
1 category wins0 category wins

Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 mini #160 (Estimated); GPT-4o #174 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.

Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4o share 13 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 9 results are unique to GPT-4.1 mini; 0 to GPT-4o.

Updated July 24, 2026
Shared results
13
GPT-4.1 mini only
9
GPT-4o only
0
Comparable categories
1 / 8

Pick GPT-4.1 mini if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4o only becomes the better choice if its workflow or ecosystem matters more than the raw scoreboard.

Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 13 shared benchmark results across 7 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.

Why this result

GPT-4.1 mini has the cleaner BenchAlign overall profile here, landing at 43.1 versus 40.73. It is a real lead, but still close enough that category-level strengths matter more than the headline number.

GPT-4.1 mini's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 4.5 against 0.3. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 4.483% to 0.345%.

GPT-4o is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.50 input / $10.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.40 input / $1.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini. That is roughly 6.3x on output cost alone. GPT-4.1 mini gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for GPT-4o.

Category breakdown

Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.

Category scores and score margins for GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4o
CategoryGPT-4.1 miniΔGPT-4o
MathGPT-4.1 mini4.5Margin 4.2GPT-4o0.3
CodingGPT-4.1 mini23.6MarginNo overlapGPT-4oNot measured
KnowledgeGPT-4.1 mini64.2MarginNo overlapGPT-4oNot measured
Inst. FollowingGPT-4.1 mini88.5MarginNo overlapGPT-4oNot measured

Decisive benchmark drivers

The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.

More
A · GPT-4.1 miniB · GPT-4o
  1. FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)

    Math
    Source ↗
    A 4.483%B 0.345%
    Winner: GPT-4.1 miniΔ 4.1
    FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GPT-4.1 mini scored 4.483%; GPT-4o scored 0.345%. GPT-4.1 mini wins this benchmark.

Operational comparison

Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.

MetricGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oComparison
Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokensGPT-4.1 mini$0.4 input / $1.6 outputGPT-4o$2.5 input / $10 outputGPT-4.1 mini has the lower combined listed price.
Generation speedtokens per secondGPT-4.1 mini80 tok/sGPT-4o131 tok/sGPT-4o has the higher measured throughput.
First-answer latencyseconds to first tokenGPT-4.1 mini0.76 sGPT-4o0.81 sGPT-4.1 mini reaches the first token sooner.
Context windowmaximum listed tokensGPT-4.1 mini1MGPT-4o128KGPT-4.1 mini lists the larger context window.

Benchmark Deep Dive

Agentic
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
AA Agentic IndexSource 1.7%Not comparable
τ²-bench resultsSource 52.9%25.1%GPT-4.1 mini leads
GDPval-AASource 0.4%Not comparable
GDPval-AASource 508Not comparable
Coding
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
SWE-bench VerifiedSource 23.6%Not comparable
AA Coding IndexSource 20.2%Not comparable
AA-SciCodeSource 40.4%33.3%GPT-4.1 mini leads
Reasoning
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
AA-LCRSource 42.3%0.0%GPT-4.1 mini leads
CritPtSource 0.0%0.0%Tie
Knowledge
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
MMLUSource 87.5%Not comparable
GPQASource 64.2%Not comparable
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource 14.8%11.2%GPT-4.1 mini leads
AA-GPQA DiamondSource 66.4%54.3%GPT-4.1 mini leads
AA-HLESource 4.6%3.3%GPT-4.1 mini leads
AA-Omniscience IndexSource -50.1%-10.7%GPT-4o leads
AA-Omniscience AccuracySource 17.5%19.7%GPT-4o leads
AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource 82.0%37.9%GPT-4o leads
MathGPT-4.1 mini wins
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source 4.483%0.345%GPT-4.1 mini leads
Multimodal
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
AA-MMMU-ProSource 58.7%Not comparable
Design Arena WebsiteSource 1027861GPT-4.1 mini leads
Inst. Following
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4oResult
IFEvalSource 88.5%Not comparable
AA-IFBenchSource 38.3%34.3%GPT-4.1 mini leads
Frequently Asked Questions (2)

Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-4o?

GPT-4.1 mini is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 43.1 to 40.73. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 4.483% and 0.345%.

Which is better for math, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-4o?

GPT-4.1 mini has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 4.5 versus 0.3. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

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Last updated: July 24, 2026