Side-by-side benchmark comparison across knowledge, coding, math, and reasoning.
Z-1 is clearly ahead on the aggregate, 51 to 31. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
GPT-5 nano is the reasoning model in the pair, while Z-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-5 nano gives you the larger context window at 400K, compared with 128K for Z-1.
Pick Z-1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-5 nano only becomes the better choice if mathematics is the priority or you need the larger 400K context window.
Z-1
44.8
GPT-5 nano
71.2
Z-1
53.8
GPT-5 nano
85.2
Z-1 is ahead overall, 51 to 31. The biggest single separator in this matchup is AIME 2025, where the scores are 53 and 85.2.
GPT-5 nano has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 71.2 versus 44.8. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
GPT-5 nano has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 85.2 versus 53.8. Inside this category, AIME 2025 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Get notified when new models drop, benchmark scores change, or the leaderboard shifts. One email per week.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We only store derived location metadata for consent routing.