# GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-4o mini

GPT-4o mini is the cheaper of the 2: for the same tokens, 3 read for each 1 written, GPT-4.1 mini costs 2.7 times as much. Below are both price lists, what 8 everyday jobs cost a month on each, and how many tokens the same text takes on each, which can change the answer.

- Page, with a calculator for your own job: https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4-1-mini-vs-gpt-4o-mini
- Makers: GPT-4.1 mini from OpenAI, GPT-4o mini from OpenAI

## Price per million tokens, in US dollars

| | GPT-4.1 mini | GPT-4o mini |
| --- | --: | --: |
| Input | $0.40 | $0.15 |
| Cached input | $0.10 | $0.075 |
| Cache write | not listed | not listed |
| Output | $1.60 | $0.60 |
| Blend, 3 read for each 1 written | $0.70 | $0.2625 |
| Batch input | $0.20 | $0.075 |
| Batch output | $0.80 | $0.30 |
| Context window, tokens | 1.05M | 128K |
| Capability score (Epoch Capabilities Index; GPT-5 is 150) | 135 | 127 |
| Longest answer, tokens | 33K | 16K |

## What 8 everyday jobs cost a month on each

Each job at its usual runs a day, for 30 days, at the standard price.

| Job | Tokens in, out, runs a day | GPT-4.1 mini | GPT-4o mini |
| --- | --- | --: | --: |
| A chat question | 300, 500, 100 | $2.76 | $1.04 |
| A hard question, with thinking | 300, 1,400, 100 | $7.08 | $2.66 |
| A long report, summarised | 60,000, 2,000, 20 | $16.32 | $6.12 |
| A 40-turn agent task | 2,800,000, 40,000, 10 | $128 | too long for its window |
| A support bot's reply | 4,000, 300, 2,000 | $88.80 | $37.80 |
| Sort a message into a category | 250, 5, 50,000 | $162 | $60.75 |
| Read an invoice into fields | 1,500, 250, 1,000 | $30.00 | $11.25 |
| Review a pull request | 25,000, 4,500, 50 | $25.80 | $9.67 |

## Questions

### Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-4o mini?

GPT-4o mini is cheaper: $0.15 per million tokens read and $0.60 per million written, against $0.40 and $1.60 on GPT-4.1 mini. On a mix of 3 tokens read for each 1 written, GPT-4.1 mini costs 2.7 times as much.

### Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-4o mini?

On the Epoch Capabilities Index, an independent score from Epoch AI that combines over 50 benchmarks, GPT-4.1 mini scores 135 and GPT-4o mini 127, above the top of the range of doubt around GPT-4o mini's score (GPT-5 is 150). One score is an average; test both on your own work before you switch.

### What does a support bot cost a month on GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4o mini?

At 2,000 replies a day, each reading 4,000 tokens (50 percent of them from cache) and writing 300, it costs $88.80 a month on GPT-4.1 mini and $37.80 on GPT-4o mini: GPT-4.1 mini costs 2.3 times as much for this job.

### Which has the larger context window, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-4o mini?

GPT-4.1 mini, with 1.05M tokens against 128K on GPT-4o mini. The window holds your instructions, the files you attach, the conversation so far and the answer, all at once.

### Does the same text take the same number of tokens on GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4o mini?

Yes, both are counted the same way: our lesson "How AI writes", 1,700 words long, is about 2,100 tokens on each.

### Can I pay less on GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4o mini for work that can wait?

Yes, on both. With a batch, where you collect the answers later instead of at once, GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.20 per million tokens read and $0.80 written, and GPT-4o mini $0.075 and $0.30.

## Sources

- [OpenAI: API prices](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing)
- [Epoch Capabilities Index, by Epoch AI (CC BY 4.0)](https://epoch.ai/benchmarks/eci)

## Other comparisons

- [GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-6 Astra](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4-1-mini-vs-gpt-6-astra.md)
- [GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-6.1 Sol](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4-1-mini-vs-gpt-6-1-sol.md)
- [GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-6 Luna](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4-1-mini-vs-gpt-6-luna.md)
- [GPT-4o mini vs GPT-6 Astra](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4o-mini-vs-gpt-6-astra.md)
- [GPT-4o mini vs GPT-6.1 Sol](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4o-mini-vs-gpt-6-1-sol.md)
- [GPT-4o mini vs GPT-6 Luna](https://tecyfy.com/prices/compare/gpt-4o-mini-vs-gpt-6-luna.md)