ModelRefs / GPT-5 Mini vs GPT-4.1 Mini
GPT-5 Mini vs GPT-4.1 Mini
GPT-5 Mini vs GPT-4.1 Mini: side-by-side benchmarks, pricing, context windows, coding ability and deployment. Pick the right model for your stack.
Overview
GPT-4.1 Mini: GPT-4.1 Mini is OpenAI's April 2025 smaller, faster GPT-4.1 variant, carrying the same 1,047,576-token context window, 32,768-token maximum output and June 2024 knowledge cutoff as the full model at roughly a fifth of its input price. It accepts text and image input and, like GPT-4.1, answers without a reasoning step. OpenAI has since deprecated it, scheduling the gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14 snapshot to shut down on 14 January 2027 with gpt-6-luna as the replacement.
GPT-5 Mini: GPT-5 Mini is OpenAI's August 2025 cost-efficient reasoning model for well-defined, latency-sensitive, and high-volume workloads. The API model supports text input and output, image input, configurable reasoning effort, and an immutable gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07 snapshot; OpenAI now classifies it as a previous-generation model.
Context window: GPT-4.1 Mini accepts up to 1,000,000 tokens, GPT-5 Mini up to 400,000. Confirm the limit for your specific deployment channel before relying on it.
GPT-4.1 Mini vs GPT-5 Mini at a glance
| Attribute | GPT-4.1 Mini | GPT-5 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Released | 2025-04-14 | 2025-08-07 |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 400,000 tokens |
| Input price | $0.4/M tokens | $0.25/M tokens |
| Output price | $1.6/M tokens | $2/M tokens |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Self-hostable | No, hosted only | No, hosted only |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision |
Benchmarks reported for both
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 Mini | GPT-5 Mini | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (accuracy) | 65 | 82.3 | 2025-08-07 |
Each row compares the same benchmark, the same reported metric, and the same task set. Scores are as published by their cited sources on the dates shown. Different runs still use different harnesses and prompts, so treat these as directional evidence rather than a head-to-head result.
Where they differ most
- Reasoning: GPT-4.1 Mini 60%, GPT-5 Mini 88%. GPT-5 Mini leads on this dimension.
- Cost Efficiency: GPT-4.1 Mini 80%, GPT-5 Mini 78%. GPT-4.1 Mini leads on this dimension.
Capability scores are ModelRefs' own derived signals, not vendor claims or benchmark results. Validate against your own workload before relying on them.
Continue your research
Use these connected ModelRefs sections to compare alternatives, inspect implementation paths, and review the evidence and governance boundaries relevant to GPT-5 Mini vs GPT-4.1 Mini.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, GPT-5 Mini or GPT-4.1 Mini?
GPT-5 Mini and GPT-4.1 Mini target different workloads — see the benchmark and pricing tables for a side-by-side answer.
Is GPT-5 Mini cheaper than GPT-4.1 Mini?
Compare $0.00025 vs $0.00040 on this page.