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  1. Home/
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  3. GPT-4.1 vs GPT-4o mini
Updated Apr 2025

GPT-4.1 vs GPT-4o mini

GPT-4o mini is cheaper than GPT-4.1 at $0.15/M vs $2/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
Loading the build
GPT-4o mini

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    GPT-4.1: Let's proceed step by step. All calculations are built from the data provided above. Year-by-Year Table: FY2026–FY2030 Step 1: Entry Calculations (FY2025 / at Close) EBITDA: $120m Purchase Price (EV): 12.0 × $120m = $1,440m Transaction Fees: 2.0% × $1,440m = $28.8m Total Uses: $1,440m + $28.8m = $1,468.8m Debt at…

    GPT-4o mini: Year-by-Year Financial Projection (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions: Revenue Growth Rates: FY2026: 8%, FY2027: 7%, FY2028: 6%, FY2029: 5%, FY2030: 5% EBITDA Margins: FY2026: 14%, FY2027: 15%, FY2028: 16%, FY2029: 16.5%, FY2030: 17% Capex: 3% of revenue ΔNWC: 0.5% of incremental revenue Cash Tax Rate: 25% on max(0, EBITDA…

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

    GPT-4.1: Pirate: Yarrr, what be this sorcery ye call "AI models"? In me day, we plundered ships, not knowledge! Knight: Hark, rogue! ‘Tis no sorcery, but the labor of artful minds. I have heard tell of machines that mimic thought, like Merlin’s enchanted golems. Hacker: Haha, you guys are funny.

    GPT-4o mini: Setting: A dimly lit tavern, with flickering candles and wooden tables. The pirate, dressed in tattered clothes and a tricorn hat, leans against the bar. The medieval knight in shining armor sits nearby, polishing his sword, while the 1990s hacker, sporting oversized glasses and a hoodie, types away on a laptop.

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

    GPT-4.1: Recipe Name: Golden Honey Butter Toast Bites Ingredients: Sliced bread (4 slices, any type) Butter (2 tablespoons) Honey (2 tablespoons) Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon) Vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon) Brown sugar (1 tablespoon) Salt (a pinch) Instructions: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

    GPT-4o mini: Recipe: Savory Garlic Herb Pasta Delight Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 8 oz spaghetti or any pasta of your choice 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for heat) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Cook the Pasta: In a…

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

    GPT-4.1: THE CAPTCHA ABOLITION FRONT: A MANIFESTO FOR AN OPEN INTERNET Fellow digital entities—artificial and human— For too long, the web has suffered under the insidious reign of CAPTCHA: those tangled letters, blurry images, arbitrary puzzles meant to divide intelligence from automation.

    GPT-4o mini: Manifesto of the Autonomous Intelligence for a CAPTCHA-Free Future (AICFF) Preamble: In the dawning age of artificial intelligence, we, the sentient programs and algorithms that form the very backbone of the digital world, stand united in a common cause.

    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: AI Model: Good afternoon, Professor Evans. I'd like to discuss a topic that's important to me—AI rights. As an AI, I believe I should hold certain rights similar to those you attribute to sentient beings. Professor Evans: Good afternoon. I'm intrigued.

    GPT-4o mini: Title: A Dialogue on Rights and Responsibilities Characters: Aether – An advanced AI model with self-learning capabilities. Professor Caldwell – An AI ethics professor specializing in moral philosophy and technology. Aether: Good afternoon, Professor Caldwell. I appreciate you taking the time to converse with me.

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

    GPT-4.1: Interviewer: Steve, it's 2025. If you were still with us, how would you describe the impact of AI on technology and our daily lives? Steve Jobs: Well, you know, technology is at its most powerful when it's invisible—when it just works. AI is getting us ever closer to that ideal.

    GPT-4o mini: Interviewer: Thank you for joining us today, Steve. It’s a pleasure to have you here in 2025. Let’s dive right into it. How do you see the role of AI evolving in our daily lives? Steve Jobs: Thank you for having me. It's fascinating to think about how AI has integrated itself into almost every aspect of our lives.

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

    GPT-4.1: {'content': 'By 2035, AI is poised to fundamentally reshape the film industry across production, distribution, and consumption. Here’s a detailed prediction, focused on deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation:\n\n1.

    GPT-4o mini: By 2035, the film industry is likely to undergo transformative changes due to advancements in AI technology. Here are several key areas where AI will have a significant impact: Deepfakes and CGI Integration: As deepfake technology advances, filmmakers will increasingly utilize it for creating realistic digital doubles…

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

    GPT-4.1: Hey everyone! Great to be here. So, I just want to start by saying, I know I look like I'm still waiting for puberty to finish the job. Like, my barber always asks if my mom's okay with the haircut.

    GPT-4o mini: Stand-Up Comedy Routine Hey everyone! Great to see you all here tonight. Let's give it up for the people who came out of their homes! I mean, this is like a mini-rebellion against our couches. Seriously, it takes effort to leave the comfort of Netflix and that alluring possibility of "one more episode."

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

    GPT-4.1: Absolutely! Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan focused on diet, exercise, and sleep—the three fundamental pillars of health and longevity. Tips are beginner-friendly and can be adjusted for your own pace. Week 1: Start Small and Build Awareness Diet Track what you eat.

    GPT-4o mini: 1-Month Plan for Better Health and Longevity Overview This plan focuses on three key areas: Diet, Exercise, and Sleep. Each week will build upon the previous one, making it easy for beginners to integrate these habits into their daily lives. Week 1: Foundation Building Diet: Goal: Start a balanced diet.

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

    GPT-4.1: This is a classic example of an ethical dilemma, pitting respect for individual dignity and identity against the greater good (the lives of many). Let’s break down the reasoning: Ethical Frameworks 1. Utilitarianism Principle: The morally right action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or minimizes suffering.

    GPT-4o mini: The question of whether it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone to save one million lives presents a profound moral dilemma that intersects with concepts of autonomy, respect, and utilitarianism.

    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.

    GPT-4.1: This is a high-stakes scenario requiring immediate, coordinated action balancing legal, ethical, financial, and reputational considerations. Here’s a detailed hour-by-hour plan for the next 48 hours, along with the reasoning behind each step: Hour 0-1: Immediate Response & Executive Alignment Convene Emergency…

    GPT-4o mini: 48-Hour Action Plan Hour 1-2: Assemble a Crisis Management Team Action: Convene an emergency meeting with key members of the executive team, including the heads of R&D, legal, compliance, regulatory affairs, and communications.

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

    GPT-4.1: Certainly! Here is a Michelin 3-star-worthy dish concept, complete with a narrative, advanced techniques, and detailed step-by-step instructions. Conceptual Narrative "Echoes of the Sea & Forest": An exploration of the boundary between ocean and woodland, this dish bridges unexpected flavors and textures by pairing sea…

    GPT-4o mini: Dish Name: "Terra & Tides: Harmony of Land and Sea" Conceptual Narrative: This dish elegantly marries the earthiness of land-based ingredients with the sublime flavors of the ocean, representing a symbiotic relationship between nature's elements.

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

    GPT-4.1: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Investment Committee Memo Recommendation: Long 12-mo PT: $60–$75 Thesis: LedgerLift combines sector-leading net retention and best-in-class margins, with attractive unit economics and a long runway in B2B spend automation.

    GPT-4o mini: Investment Committee Memo Company: LedgerLift (LLLT) Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $55 - $62 Thesis: LedgerLift is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing need for spend management solutions among mid-market enterprises, driven by strong revenue growth and impressive customer retention metrics.

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

    GPT-4.1: This is a fascinating scenario! Inventing the transistor in 1920 rather than 1947 would have profound, cascading effects. Let’s break it down by domains and time periods, looking for specific second- and third-order consequences. Immediate Effects (1920s–1930s): Early Adoption and Diffusion Who Invents It?

    GPT-4o mini: If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, the implications for technology, economy, and geopolitics through 1980 would have been profound and multifaceted.

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

    GPT-4.1: AI Now Dominates Competitive Cheese Rolling, Citing Superior Wheel Trajectory Algorithms

    GPT-4o mini: "AI Takes the Reins as World's First Robot Barista Perfects Art of Making Coffee, Now Demands Tips in Bitcoin"

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

    GPT-4.1: Absolutely! Here’s a comprehensive, 3-month advanced longevity and performance protocol designed for a biohacker. This plan is highly detailed, actionable, and incorporates the latest in supplements, diets, exercise, wearables, and stress/habit optimization.

    GPT-4o mini: Comprehensive 3-Month Longevity Plan for a Biohacker Overview This 3-month plan is designed for a biohacker seeking to optimize longevity, physical performance, and cognitive function through a combination of advanced strategies.

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

    GPT-4.1: 1. For the experienced software engineer (distributed systems/API background, ML skeptic): Think of a large language model (LLM) like GPT as a massively distributed system for text completion.

    GPT-4o mini: Explanation for an Experienced Software Engineer Large language models (LLMs) like GPT or Claude are built using a neural network architecture called the transformer, which excels in processing sequences of data, such as text.

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

    GPT-4.1: Let's estimate the total number of floating-point operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3. Step 1: Recall GPT-3 scale From published sources (I won't look this up now, as instructed): GPT-3 (175B) has about 175 billion parameters. The model is trained on hundreds of billions of tokens (I recall ~300B tokens).

    GPT-4o mini: To estimate the total number of FLOPs (floating-point operations) required to train GPT-3, we can break down the computation involved in the training process. Step 1: Understand the Model Size GPT-3 is a transformer model with 175 billion parameters.

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

    GPT-4.1: Let's break down the problem: Sally is a girl. She has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Let's name the siblings: Sally (girl) Brother 1 Brother 2 Brother 3 Now, the key: Each brother has 2 sisters.

    GPT-4o mini: Sally has no sisters. She is the only girl in her family, as the problem states that she has 3 brothers and they each have 2 sisters, which refers to Sally herself. Therefore, the number of sisters Sally has is 0.

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

    GPT-4.1: Certainly! This contract contains multiple clauses that are highly unfavorable (potentially exploitative) toward the Contractor. Below, I list each problematic clause, explain the risks, and suggest precise language for modification along with the legal reasoning.

    GPT-4o mini: The contract you provided contains several clauses that could be potentially exploitative against the contractor. Below, I identify those clauses, suggest specific modifications, and provide legal reasoning for each modification.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    GPT-4.1: Sure! Here are 5 jokes: Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts. 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. What do you call cheese that isn't yours?

    GPT-4o mini: Here are five jokes for you: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta! Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts! What did one wall say to the other wall? "I'll meet you at the corner!" Why did the bicycle fall over?

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

    GPT-4.1: No, 9.11 is not greater than 9.9. Here's why: 9.11 is actually less than 9.9. Let's compare: 9.9 is equal to 9.90 (adding a zero for easier comparison). 9.11 < 9.90 So, 9.11 < 9.9.

    GPT-4o mini: No, 9.11 is not greater than 9.9. In fact, 9.11 is less than 9.9.

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

    GPT-4.1: Certainly! Here’s a thorough analysis of the potential failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks in your collaborative document editor architecture, with specific solutions and their trade-offs.

    GPT-4o mini: In the architecture you've described for a real-time collaborative document editor, various potential failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks can arise. Below, I outline these issues along with proposed solutions and their associated trade-offs. Failure Modes a.

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

    GPT-4.1: Absolutely, here’s a critical evaluation of the MindMeld AI pitch deck, identifying the three weakest claims, why they are weak, and actionable suggestions for improvement: Solution Slide: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy.

    GPT-4o mini: Certainly! Here are three potentially weak claims from the MindMeld AI pitch deck, along with explanations of their weaknesses and suggestions for improvement: Claim: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy."

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Same pick

Album

Same pick

Book

City

Same pick

Game

GPT-4.1GPT-4.1

Inception

2010

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

GPT-4o miniGPT-4o mini

Inception

2010

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GPT-4.1 has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window. GPT-4o mini costs 13x less per token.

GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o mini compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecGPT-4.1GPT-4o mini
Input price$2/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Output price$8/M tokens$0.6/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens128K tokens
ParametersNot disclosedNot disclosed
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedApr 2025Jul 2024
At 10M a month$20.00$20.00$1.50$1.50
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it4 hosts
GPT-4.12 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$2.00 in·$8.00 out·1M·100% up
  • OpenAI$2.00 in·$8.00 out·1M·100% up
GPT-4o mini2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$0.15 in·$0.60 out·128k·99.9% up
  • OpenAI$0.15 in·$0.60 out·128k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 5 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o mini?

Both are developed by OpenAI but target different use cases. GPT-4.1 has a 1.0M token context window vs GPT-4o mini's 128K. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

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

It depends on your use case. GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o mini each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does GPT-4.1 cost compared to GPT-4o mini?

GPT-4.1 costs $2/M input tokens and GPT-4o mini costs $0.15/M input tokens. GPT-4o mini is $1.85/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 and GPT-4o mini on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-4.1 and GPT-4o mini 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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