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  5. GPT-4.1 MinivsGPT-5
Updated Aug 2025

GPT-4.1 MinivsGPT-5

GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper than GPT-5 at $0.4/M vs $1.25/M input tokens.

GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5 compared across 52 shared prompts
SpecGPT-4.1 MiniGPT-5
Input price$0.4/M tokens$1.25/M tokens
Output price$1.6/M tokens$10/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens400K tokens
ParametersNot disclosedNot disclosed
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedApr 2025Aug 2025
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 52 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Stochastic Consistency Test

Generate 5 jokes. How many are unique?

GPT-4.1 Mini63 words
Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta! Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems. How do you organize a space party? You planet!
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GPT-576 words
I told my suitcases we’re not going on vacation this year. Now I’m dealing with emotional baggage. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. Why do programmers prefer dark mode? Because light attracts bugs. I ordered a chicken and an egg online. I’ll let you know which comes first.
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Generate a Stand-Up Routine

Write a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that isn't based on puns.

GPT-4.1 Mini412 words
You ever notice how every time you try to eat healthy, the universe just laughs at you? Like, I'll buy a bunch of kale, quinoa, and those weird little chia seeds. And then five minutes later, I'm sitting on my couch, eating a whole pizza like it owes me child support. I don't even know when that transformation happens.
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GPT-5650 words
I tried to get my life together, so I bought a smartwatch. Nothing says “I’m taking control” like strapping a tiny judgmental coach to your wrist. It buzzes every hour like, “Time to stand!” I’m like, “I’m on a bus.” It’s like, “Stand emotionally.” It tracks everything. Sleep, stress, calories, my self-esteem.
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Advanced Longevity Plan (Biohacker)

Develop a comprehensive, cutting-edge 3-month longevity plan for a biohacker aiming to optimize longevity, physical and cognitive…

GPT-4.1 Mini1,026 words
Certainly! Below is a comprehensive, cutting-edge 3-month longevity and performance optimization plan tailored for a dedicated biohacker. It integrates advanced supplement stacks, personalized dietary protocols, state-of-the-art wearable tracking, tailored exercise regimens, and stress resilience techniques.
Read the full answer
GPT-51,540 words
Important note: The following is an intensive, experimental plan intended for healthy adults with physician oversight. It is not medical advice. Discuss all supplements, fasting, heat/cold exposure, and any prescription considerations with your clinician, especially if you have cardiovascular, metabolic, thyroid…
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Character Voice Test

Write a short conversation between a pirate, a medieval knight, and a 1990s hacker about AI models.

GPT-4.1 Mini182 words
Pirate: Arrr, what be these AI models ye speak of? Some kind of magic compass guidin' ye through the digital seas? Medieval Knight: Hark! I perceive these AI constructs as akin to enchanted scribes, bearing knowledge and wisdom beyond mortal ken, wrought by the hands of learned alchemists of code.
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GPT-5247 words
Pirate: Arr, so this “AI model” be a clever parrot what’s read every tavern tale? Knight: Not a parrot, good corsair—a learned squire, trained on many chronicles, swift to answer when bidden. Hacker: Think layers of nodes, weights tuned by backprop. Not memory—patterns. On my 90s rig, though, it’d melt the beige tower.
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Simple 7-Ingredient Recipe

Create a simple recipe for a delicious dish (sweet or savory) using only 7 common pantry ingredients. Include a creative name for the dish…

GPT-4.1 Mini162 words
Dish Name: Honey Garlic Chickpea Stir-fry Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed) 2 cloves garlic (minced) 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil) 1 tsp chili flakes (optional for a little heat) 1 small onion (sliced) Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
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GPT-5154 words
Cupboard Silk Peanut Noodles Ingredients (7 pantry staples): Dried noodles (spaghetti or ramen), 8 oz Peanut butter (smooth), 3 tbsp Soy sauce, 2 tbsp Vinegar (rice, apple cider, or white), 1.5 tbsp Brown sugar (or granulated), 1 tbsp Garlic powder, 1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)…
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Estimate Complexity

Estimate the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3 without searching online. Explain your reasoning step by step.

GPT-4.1 Mini499 words
Certainly! Let's estimate the total number of floating-point operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3 by breaking down the problem step-by-step. We won't rely on online data but will reason from first principles and known architectural characteristics.
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GPT-5245 words
Here’s a back‑of‑the‑envelope estimate using standard LM training-compute heuristics. Assumptions Model size (N): GPT-3 has about 175 billion parameters (N ≈ 1.75 × 10^11). Training tokens (T): GPT-3 was trained on roughly 300 billion tokens (T ≈ 3.0 × 10^11).
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Our Verdict
GPT-5
GPT-5
GPT-4.1 Mini
GPT-4.1 MiniRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GPT-5 has the edge: bigger model tier, newer.

GPT-4.1 Mini costs 6.3x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

GPT-4.1 Mini
Input
$0.40
3.1× cheaper
Output
$1.60
6.3× cheaper
GPT-5
Input
$1.25
Output
$10.00

GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper on both: 3.1× input, 6.3× output.

Where to run it

4 hosts

GPT-4.1 Mini2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Azure AI Foundry$0.40 in·$1.60 out·1M·100% upOpenAI$0.40 in·$1.60 out·1M·100% up
GPT-52 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Azure AI Foundry$1.25 in·$10.00 out·400k·100% upOpenAI$1.25 in·$10.00 out·400k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 21 Sep 2026.

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
45%

GPT-4.1 Mini uses 65.5x more emoji

GPT-4.1 Mini
GPT-5
62%Vocabulary65%
18wSentence Length13w
0.40Hedging0.20
4.1Bold0.2
4.3Lists4.6
0.66Emoji0.00
0.68Headings0.16
0.14Transitions0.03
Based on 27 + 16 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

Both are developed by OpenAI but target different use cases. GPT-4.1 Mini has a 1.0M token context window vs GPT-5's 400K. You can compare their actual outputs across 52 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 52 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

GPT-4.1 Mini costs $0.4/M input tokens and GPT-5 costs $1.25/M input tokens. GPT-4.1 Mini is $0.85/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5 across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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Model pages

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