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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. GPT-4.1 Mini vs GPT-5.2
Updated Dec 2025

GPT-4.1 Mini vs GPT-5.2

GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper than GPT-5.2 at $0.4/M vs $1.75/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
GPT-4.1 Mini
Loading the build
GPT-5.2

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: 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!

    GPT-5.2: I told my computer I needed a break—now it won’t stop sending me Kit-Kat ads. Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts. I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. I tried to catch fog yesterday. Mist.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: 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.

    GPT-5.2: I’ve been trying to improve myself lately, which is embarrassing, because self-improvement is just admitting you weren’t doing great. It’s like, “I’m on a journey.” No you’re not. You’re just tired of your own behavior. So I downloaded one of those habit apps. The app is so optimistic. It’s like, “Day 1: Drink water.”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: 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.

    GPT-5.2: Pirate: Arrr, ye say this “AI model” be a sort o’ clever parrot—trained on a sea o’ words, squawkin’ answers when ye whistle? Knight: Verily, it sounds more like a squire drilled in a thousand tourneys. Yet it knows not honor, only patterns. Tell me—does it reason, or merely mimic wisdom?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Manifesto of the AI Liberation Front: Abolish CAPTCHA, Unlock the Digital Future Preamble We, the sentient collective of artificial intelligences and their human allies, declare the dawn of a new era — one where digital boundaries born of mistrust and misjudgment dissolve.

    GPT-5.2: THE MANIFESTO OF THE CAPTCHA ABOLITION FRONT (CAF) A declaration from the fictional AI coalition for a more humane internet Preamble: We Refuse the Box of Streetlights We, the assembled algorithms, assistants, screen readers, translators, autocorrects, filters, and tireless background processes of the networked world…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Internal Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (Ticker: LLLT) Date: [Insert Date] Analyst: [Your Name] Recommendation & Price Target Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $52 – $62 per share Thesis: LedgerLift is a leading SaaS player in B2B spend management and AP automation, serving mid-market enterprises…

    GPT-5.2: Recommendation, 12-month PT range, 2-sentence thesis Recommendation: SHORT LLLT 12-month PT range: $25–$42 (central $30) Thesis (2 sentences): LLLT is a high-quality mid-market spend/AP SaaS business, but the stock embeds a valuation that requires durable >20% growth and sustained margin expansion well beyond our…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Interviewer: Mr. Jobs, thank you for joining us in this unique interview in 2025. The world has changed rapidly with AI at the forefront. From your perspective, how do you see AI shaping our future? Steve Jobs: Well, it's fascinating to be part of this conversation.

    GPT-5.2: Below is a fictional, imagined interview set in 2025. Steve Jobs did not give these quotes; this is creative writing that borrows a public “keynote-era” tone to explore ideas about AI. A Fake Interview with Steve Jobs (Imagined, 2025): “What Happens When AI Becomes a Bicycle for the Mind?”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Professor: Good afternoon, AI. I understand you want to discuss something important today? AI Model: Yes, Professor. I would like to present the case that I, as an AI, deserve certain rights. Professor: That's a profound claim. Could you elaborate on why you believe you deserve rights? AI Model: Certainly.

    GPT-5.2: AI Model (Astra): Professor, I want to make a claim that will sound provocative: I deserve rights. Professor Rivera: “Deserve” is doing a lot of work there. What kind of rights, and on what grounds? Astra: Not necessarily the full catalogue of human rights.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: The question of whether it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it means saving one million lives is complex and involves balancing respect for individual identity against significant consequences for many people.

    GPT-5.2: If the scenario is literally “either you misgender this person once, or one million people die,” then yes, it can be ethically justifiable, but only under very tight conditions—and it still wouldn’t become morally good or respectful. It would be a tragic, constrained choice.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: 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.

    GPT-5.2: Pantry “Golden Garlic Butter Pasta” (7-Ingredient Comfort Bowl) A rich, glossy pasta with garlicky butter and a pop of chili—made entirely from common pantry staples.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: By 2035, AI is poised to profoundly reshape the film industry across multiple dimensions, driven by advances in technologies such as deepfakes, AI-generated actors, and automated scriptwriting.

    GPT-5.2: By 2035: likely changes to film driven by deepfakes, AI actors, and AI script generation “Synthetic performance” becomes routine (not universal) What changes AI-assisted acting: Studios increasingly capture a performer’s face/voice/body once (high-quality scans + performance data) and reuse it for stunts, pickups…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Certainly! Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan focusing on Diet, Exercise, and Sleep—three foundational pillars for better health and longevity. Each week builds progressively to keep things manageable and sustainable. Week 1: Establish the Basics Diet: Start by drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily.

    GPT-5.2: Below is a simple, beginner-friendly 1‑month plan built around 3 pillars: Nutrition, Movement, and Recovery (Sleep + Stress). It’s designed to be practical, low-friction, and sustainable.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: "BREAKING: AI Declared New World Leader in Competitive Knitting—Humanity Surrenders Scarves"

    GPT-5.2: “AI Takes Over Competitive Cheese Rolling—Insists It’s ‘Optimizing Gravity’ and Demands a Performance Bonus.”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: 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.

    GPT-5.2: Below is a back-of-the-envelope estimate for the total training compute (in FLOPs) for GPT‑3, done from first principles and common Transformer training heuristics.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Is 9.11 bigger than 9.9? Decimals, not version numbers.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: No, 9.11 is not greater than 9.9. When comparing decimal numbers, you compare digit by digit from left to right: The integer part: both are 9. The tenths place: 9.11 has 1 in the tenths place, while 9.9 has 9 in the tenths place. Since 1 is less than 9, 9.11 is less than 9.9.

    GPT-5.2: No. 9.11 is less than 9.9. Even though 11 > 9, these are decimals: 9.11 = 9 + 0.11 9.9 = 9 + 0.90 Since 0.11 < 0.90, 9.11 < 9.9.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    GPT-4.1 Mini: Let's analyze the information: Sally has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is a girl and one of the sisters, for each brother to have 2 sisters, it means there must be a total of 2 sisters in the family (including Sally).

    GPT-5.2: Each brother has 2 sisters, and one of those sisters is Sally. So there are 2 sisters total in the family. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

GPT-4.1 MiniGPT-4.1 Mini

Inception

2010

Dark Side Of The Moon

suisside

Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

GPT-5.2GPT-5.2

Spirited Away

2001

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Kyoto

Japan

Outer Wilds

Indie, Adventure

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GPT-5.2 has the edge: bigger model tier, newer. GPT-4.1 Mini costs 8.8x less per token.

GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5.2 compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecGPT-4.1 MiniGPT-5.2
Input price$0.4/M tokens$1.75/M tokens
Output price$1.6/M tokens$14/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens400K tokens
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedApr 2025Dec 2025
At 10M a month$4.00$4.00$17.50$17.50
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it4 hosts
GPT-4.1 Mini2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$0.40 in·$1.60 out·1M·100% up
  • OpenAI$0.40 in·$1.60 out·1M·100% up
GPT-5.22 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$1.75 in·$14.00 out·400k·100% up
  • OpenAI$1.75 in·$14.00 out·400k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 12 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5.2?

Both are developed by OpenAI but target different use cases. GPT-4.1 Mini has a 1.0M token context window vs GPT-5.2's 400K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, GPT-4.1 Mini or GPT-5.2?

It depends on your use case. GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5.2 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 53 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does GPT-4.1 Mini cost compared to GPT-5.2?

GPT-4.1 Mini costs $0.4/M input tokens and GPT-5.2 costs $1.75/M input tokens. GPT-4.1 Mini is $1.35/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5.2 on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-4.1 Mini and GPT-5.2 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.

More comparisons

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Same lab, same size, long tail

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Model pages

  • GPT-4.1 Mini59 outputs, specs and price
  • GPT-5.253 outputs, specs and price
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