Model comparison
GPT-5.2 vs o3-mini
Head-to-head evidence from 7 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-5.2 #64 (Estimated); o3-mini #136 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-5.2 and o3-mini share 7 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 21 results are unique to GPT-5.2; 3 to o3-mini.
Updated July 24, 2026- Shared results
- 7
- GPT-5.2 only
- 21
- o3-mini only
- 3
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick GPT-5.2 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. o3-mini only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 7 shared benchmark results across 3 evidence categories; 2 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 47.41. 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 coding, where it averages 70.6 against 49.3. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 80% to 49.3%.
GPT-5.2 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.75 input / $14.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $1.10 input / $4.40 output per 1M tokens for o3-mini. That is roughly 3.2x on output cost alone. GPT-5.2 gives you the larger context window at 400K, 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-5.2 | Δ | o3-mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | GPT-5.270.6 | Margin← 21.3 | o3-mini49.3 |
| Knowledge | GPT-5.292.4 | Margin← 15.2 | o3-mini77.2 |
| Agentic | GPT-5.255.7 | MarginNo overlap | o3-miniNot measured |
| Reasoning | GPT-5.252.9 | MarginNo overlap | o3-miniNot measured |
| Math | GPT-5.235.2 | MarginNo overlap | o3-miniNot measured |
| Multimodal | GPT-5.280.4 | MarginNo overlap | o3-miniNot measured |
| Inst. Following | GPT-5.2Not measured | MarginNo overlap | o3-mini93.9 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-5.2 | o3-mini | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-5.2$1.75 input / $14 output | o3-mini$1.1 input / $4.4 output | o3-mini has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-5.273 tok/s | o3-mini160 tok/s | o3-mini has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-5.2130.34 s | o3-mini7.12 s | o3-mini reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-5.2400K | o3-mini200K | GPT-5.2 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic5 benchmarks
CodingGPT-5.2 wins4 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
KnowledgeGPT-5.2 wins8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 | o3-mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 92.4% | 77.2% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 42.2% | 19.0% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 90.3% | 74.8% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 35.4% | 8.7% | GPT-5.2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -1.0% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 43.8% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.7% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLUSource | — | 86.9% | Not comparable |
Math4 benchmarks
Multimodal5 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, GPT-5.2 or o3-mini?
GPT-5.2 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 58.43 to 47.41. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 80% and 49.3%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-5.2 or o3-mini?
GPT-5.2 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 92.4 versus 77.2. Inside this category, AA-HLE is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, GPT-5.2 or o3-mini?
GPT-5.2 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 70.6 versus 49.3. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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