Model comparison
GPT-4.1 vs o3-mini
Head-to-head evidence from 9 shared benchmark results across 4 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 #111 (Supported); o3-mini #141 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 and o3-mini share 9 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to GPT-4.1; 1 to o3-mini.
Updated July 24, 2026- Shared results
- 9
- GPT-4.1 only
- 11
- o3-mini only
- 1
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Pick GPT-4.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. o3-mini only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 9 shared benchmark results across 4 evidence categories; 3 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 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 50.44 to 46.59. 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 49.3. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 66.3% to 77.2%. o3-mini does hit back in knowledge, 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 $1.10 input / $4.40 output per 1M tokens for o3-mini. o3-mini 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 200K for o3-mini.
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 | o3-mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | GPT-4.166.3 | Margin→ 10.9 | o3-mini77.2 |
| Inst. Following | GPT-4.187.4 | Margin→ 6.5 | o3-mini93.9 |
| Coding | GPT-4.154.6 | Margin← 5.3 | o3-mini49.3 |
| Math | GPT-4.14.1 | MarginNo overlap | o3-miniNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 66.3%B 77.2%Winner: o3-miniΔ 10.9GPQA: GPT-4.1 scored 66.3%; o3-mini scored 77.2%. o3-mini wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
IFEval
Inst. FollowingA 87.4%B 93.9%Winner: o3-miniΔ 6.5IFEval: GPT-4.1 scored 87.4%; o3-mini scored 93.9%. o3-mini wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 54.6%B 49.3%Winner: GPT-4.1Δ 5.3SWE-bench Verified: GPT-4.1 scored 54.6%; o3-mini scored 49.3%. GPT-4.1 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 | o3-mini | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-4.1$2 input / $8 output | o3-mini$1.1 input / $4.4 output | o3-mini has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-4.1108 tok/s | o3-mini160 tok/s | o3-mini has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-4.11.02 s | o3-mini7.12 s | GPT-4.1 reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-4.11M | o3-mini200K | GPT-4.1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
CodingGPT-4.1 wins2 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledgeo3-mini wins8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 | o3-mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLUSource | 90.2% | 86.9% | GPT-4.1 leads |
| GPQASource | 66.3% | 77.2% | o3-mini leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 19.4% | 19.0% | GPT-4.1 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 66.6% | 74.8% | o3-mini leads |
| AA-HLESource | 4.6% | 8.7% | o3-mini leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -36.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 24.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.6% | — | Not comparable |
Math3 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, GPT-4.1 or o3-mini?
GPT-4.1 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 50.44 to 46.59. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 66.3% and 77.2%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-4.1 or o3-mini?
o3-mini has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.2 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 o3-mini?
GPT-4.1 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 54.6 versus 49.3. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for instruction following, GPT-4.1 or o3-mini?
o3-mini has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 93.9 versus 87.4. Inside this category, IFEval is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.