Model comparison
GPT-5.2 vs o3
Head-to-head evidence from 14 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-5.2 #64 (Estimated); o3 #131 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-5.2 and o3 share 14 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 14 results are unique to GPT-5.2; 2 to o3.
Updated July 20, 2026- Shared results
- 14
- GPT-5.2 only
- 14
- o3 only
- 2
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Pick GPT-5.2 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. o3 only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 14 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-5.2 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 58.43 to 47.89. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
GPT-5.2's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 35.2 against 14.5. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 40.700% to 18.685%.
GPT-5.2 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.75 input / $14.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $2.00 input / $8.00 output per 1M tokens for o3. GPT-5.2 gives you the larger context window at 400K, compared with 200K for o3.
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-5.2 | Δ | o3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | GPT-5.235.2 | Margin← 20.7 | o314.5 |
| Agentic | GPT-5.255.7 | MarginNo overlap | o3Not measured |
| Coding | GPT-5.270.6 | MarginNo overlap | o3Not measured |
| Reasoning | GPT-5.252.9 | MarginNo overlap | o3Not measured |
| Knowledge | GPT-5.292.4 | MarginNo overlap | o3Not measured |
| Multimodal | GPT-5.280.4 | MarginNo overlap | o3Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 40.700%B 18.685%Winner: GPT-5.2Δ 22FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GPT-5.2 scored 40.700%; o3 scored 18.685%. GPT-5.2 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)
MathA 18.800%B 2.083%Winner: GPT-5.2Δ 16.7FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4): GPT-5.2 scored 18.800%; o3 scored 2.083%. GPT-5.2 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-5.2 | o3 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-5.2$1.75 input / $14 output | o3$2 input / $8 output | o3 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-5.273 tok/s | o3118 tok/s | o3 has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-5.2130.34 s | o35.38 s | o3 reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-5.2400K | o3200K | GPT-5.2 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic5 benchmarks
Coding4 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
Knowledge7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | o3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 92.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 42.2% | 30.4% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 90.3% | 82.7% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 35.4% | 20.0% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -1.0% | -15.3% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 43.8% | 38.4% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.7% | 87.1% | GPT-5.2 leads |
MathGPT-5.2 wins4 benchmarks
Multimodal6 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | o3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 75.4% | 71.4% | GPT-5.2 leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, GPT-5.2 or o3?
GPT-5.2 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 58.43 to 47.89. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 40.700% and 18.685%.
Which is better for math, GPT-5.2 or o3?
GPT-5.2 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 35.2 versus 14.5. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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