GPT-4.1 vs GPT-4.1 mini

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across knowledge, coding, math, and reasoning.

Sibling matchup inside the GPT-4.1 family.

GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini sit in the same GPT-4.1 family. This page is less about two unrelated model lineages and more about how the siblings trade off on benchmark shape, token costs, and practical limits like context window.

GPT-4.1 is clearly ahead on the aggregate, 43 to 35. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

GPT-4.1's sharpest advantage is in coding, where it averages 54.6 against 23.6. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 54.6 to 23.6. GPT-4.1 mini does hit back in instruction following, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.

GPT-4.1 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.00 input / $8.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.40 input / $1.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini. That is roughly 5.0x on output cost alone.

Quick Verdict

GPT-4.1 makes more sense if coding is the priority, while GPT-4.1 mini is the cleaner fit if instruction following is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.

Knowledge

GPT-4.1

GPT-4.1

78.3

GPT-4.1 mini

75.9

90.2
MMLU
87.5
66.3
GPQA
64.2

Coding

GPT-4.1

GPT-4.1

54.6

GPT-4.1 mini

23.6

54.6
SWE-bench Verified
23.6

Mathematics

GPT-4.1

GPT-4.1

26.4

GPT-4.1 mini

23.1

26.4
AIME 2024
23.1

Reasoning

Tie

Instruction Following

GPT-4.1 mini

GPT-4.1

87.4

GPT-4.1 mini

88.5

87.4
IFEval
88.5

Multilingual

Tie

Frequently Asked Questions

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

GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini are sibling variants in the GPT-4.1 family, so the right pick depends on whether you value the better benchmark line, cheaper tokens, or the larger context window. GPT-4.1 is ahead overall 43 to 35.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-4.1 or GPT-4.1 mini?

GPT-4.1 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 78.3 versus 75.9. Inside this category, MMLU is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for coding, GPT-4.1 or GPT-4.1 mini?

GPT-4.1 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 54.6 versus 23.6. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

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

GPT-4.1 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 26.4 versus 23.1. Inside this category, AIME 2024 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for instruction following, GPT-4.1 or GPT-4.1 mini?

GPT-4.1 mini has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 88.5 versus 87.4. Inside this category, IFEval is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Last updated: March 9, 2026

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