Model comparison
GPT-4.1 vs MAI-Thinking-1
Head-to-head evidence from 2 shared benchmark results across 2 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 #108 (Supported); MAI-Thinking-1 unranked (Not scored). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 and MAI-Thinking-1 share 2 comparable benchmark results. 4 of 8 categories are comparable. 18 results are unique to GPT-4.1; 11 to MAI-Thinking-1.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 2
- GPT-4.1 only
- 18
- MAI-Thinking-1 only
- 11
- Comparable categories
- 4 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. GPT-4.1 makes more sense if instruction following is the priority or you need the larger 1M context window; MAI-Thinking-1 is the better fit if mathematics is the priority or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 2 shared benchmark results across 2 evidence categories; 4 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 and MAI-Thinking-1 finish on the same BenchAlign overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The BenchAlign headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
MAI-Thinking-1 is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 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 gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 256K for MAI-Thinking-1.
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 | GPT-4.1 | Δ | MAI-Thinking-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | GPT-4.14.1 | Margin→ 85.6 | MAI-Thinking-189.7 |
| Coding | GPT-4.154.6 | Margin→ 10.9 | MAI-Thinking-165.5 |
| Knowledge | GPT-4.166.3 | Margin→ 6.2 | MAI-Thinking-172.5 |
| Inst. Following | GPT-4.187.4 | Margin← 2.4 | MAI-Thinking-185.0 |
| Agentic | GPT-4.1Not measured | MarginNo overlap | MAI-Thinking-146.0 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 54.6%B 73.5%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 18.9SWE-bench Verified: GPT-4.1 scored 54.6%; MAI-Thinking-1 scored 73.5%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 66.3%B 84.2%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 17.9GPQA: GPT-4.1 scored 66.3%; MAI-Thinking-1 scored 84.2%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 | MAI-Thinking-1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-4.1$2 input / $8 output | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-4.1108 tok/s | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-4.11.02 s | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-4.11M | MAI-Thinking-1256K | GPT-4.1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic3 benchmarks
CodingMAI-Thinking-1 wins4 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
KnowledgeMAI-Thinking-1 wins11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 | MAI-Thinking-1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLUSource | 90.2% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQASource | 66.3% | 84.2% | MAI-Thinking-1 leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 19.4% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 66.6% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | 4.6% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -36.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 24.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.6% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQA-DSource | — | 84.2% | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | — | 85% | Not comparable |
| SimpleQASource | — | 31% | Not comparable |
MathMAI-Thinking-1 wins5 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (5)
Which is better, GPT-4.1 or MAI-Thinking-1?
GPT-4.1 and MAI-Thinking-1 are tied on the BenchAlign overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-4.1 or MAI-Thinking-1?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.5 versus 66.3. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, GPT-4.1 or MAI-Thinking-1?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 65.5 versus 54.6. 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 MAI-Thinking-1?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 89.7 versus 4.1. GPT-4.1 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Which is better for instruction following, GPT-4.1 or MAI-Thinking-1?
GPT-4.1 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 87.4 versus 85. MAI-Thinking-1 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
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