GPT-4.1 mini vs o1

Pick o1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 mini only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you need the larger 1M context window.

o1 is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 58 to 46. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

o1's sharpest advantage is in knowledge, where it averages 75.7 against 64.2. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 64.2% to 75.7%.

o1 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $15.00 input / $60.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.40 input / $1.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini. That is roughly 37.5x on output cost alone. o1 is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 mini is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. GPT-4.1 mini gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 200K for o1.