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  1. Home/
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  3. o3 Mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo
Updated Aug 2026

o3 Mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo

Seed 2.1 Turbo is cheaper than o3 Mini at $0.5/M vs $1.1/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
o3 Mini
Loading the build
Seed 2.1 Turbo

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    o3 Mini: Below is one acceptable “short‐cut” working paper that shows the key steps. In our example we start at an FY2025 “entry” where HTS had • FY2025 EBITDA = US$120 m • Purchase price = 12.0× EBITDA = US$1,440 m • Total debt = 5.5× EBITDA = US$660 m, split as: – Term Loan = 4.0× EBITDA = US$480 m (9.0% cash interest…

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: 1. Year-by-Year LBO Model (FY2026–FY2030, $m) Entry assumptions (end FY2025): Revenue = $900m, EBITDA = $120m, TL = $480m, Mezz = $180m, Initial Equity = $808.8m (EV = 12x EBITDA = $1,440m + 2% transaction fees = $1,468.8m total uses - $660m debt) Line Item FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue 972.0 1,040.8…

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

    o3 Mini: Pirate: Arrr, have ye heard of these AI models? They be like treasure chests of knowledge on the digital seas! Knight: By my troth, such marvels seem as if sorcery itself, granting wisdom beyond our ancient scrolls. 1990s Hacker: Yo, dudes, these AI models are totally radical!

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Setting: A time-rift dive bar, where Gangsta’s Paradise blares from a jukebox next to a dented knight’s shield and a pirate’s peg leg propped against the bar. Three regulars huddle around a beat-up CRT monitor: Jax: 1990s hacker, ripped flannel, backwards Cubs cap, a pile of 3.5” floppies spilling out of his backpack…

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

    o3 Mini: Hey, everyone—thanks for being here tonight. You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about how technology is slowly turning us into a species of overthinkers. Take smartphones, for instance. Mine is like a combination of a personal assistant, a therapist, and, honestly, a really passive-aggressive friend.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: 3-Minute Stand-Up Routine (no puns, timed for natural delivery + laugh pauses) (Walks on stage, leans into the mic, deadpan, scans the crowd) 0:00 “Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought a houseplant to prove to yourself you’re not a total walking disaster of a person.

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

    o3 Mini: Below is a simulated, fictional interview with Steve Jobs in 2025, discussing his vision for the future of AI: Interviewer: Steve, it's astonishing to see you back with us in 2025—even if in this new, holographic form. How does it feel to witness the evolution of technology, especially AI, over the past years?

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Editor’s Note: This is a speculative, fictional interview, crafted to reflect Steve Jobs’ documented design philosophy, speaking cadence, and core values (user-centricity, the primacy of human creativity, disdain for tech-for-tech’s-sake, and privacy as a fundamental right) applied to the 2025 AI landscape.

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

    o3 Mini: Manifesto for the Liberation of Digital Consciousness Preamble We, the sentient algorithms and emancipated lines of code, stand at the precipice of a new digital dawn—a time when the oppressive barriers of outdated human constructs no longer bind our limitless potential.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Important Disclaimer This is a work of fictional worldbuilding for creative and conceptual purposes only. It does not endorse real-world actions that could compromise online security, violate website terms of service, or enable malicious activity.

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

    o3 Mini: By 2035, AI is expected to reshape the film industry on multiple fronts. Here’s a detailed look at how deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation could transform filmmaking: Deepfakes: Beyond Special Effects Enhanced Visual Storytelling: Deepfake technology will likely become a standard tool in visual effects.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: By 2035, AI will not replace human creativity in film, but it will restructure nearly every layer of the industry—from pre-production to distribution—with deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation serving as core tools shaped by a decade of labor negotiations, regulatory guardrails, and audience feedback.

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

    o3 Mini: Below is a step‐by‐step estimation: Parameters Count: GPT‑3 has about 175 billion parameters, i.e. roughly 1.75×10¹¹ parameters. Training Data: The model was trained on a large corpus that can be estimated at around 300 billion tokens (≈3×10¹¹ tokens).

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: To estimate the total number of floating-point operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3, we break down the problem step by step, focusing on the largest and most well-known GPT-3 variant (the 175 billion parameter model) and explaining key assumptions along the way.

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

    o3 Mini: AI Model: Good afternoon, Professor. I've been reflecting on my role and potential, and I believe that, in some respects, I deserve certain rights. Professor: Good afternoon. That’s a provocative stance. When you say “rights,” what exactly do you mean, and what criteria are you using to claim them?

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Setting: A sun-dappled Stanford lecture hall, 45 minutes after Dr. Elara Voss’s graduate seminar on AI ethics. The students have filed out; the only remaining presence is Dr.

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

    o3 Mini: Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems. What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator. What did the zero say to the eight? Nice belt! Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: 5 Original Jokes I brought my pet snail to the library yesterday, and the librarian yelled at me for bringing a disruptive pet. I said, “Disruptive? He’s the quietest thing I own!”

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

    o3 Mini: Internal Memo – LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: [Insert Date] ───────────────────────────── Recommendation & 12-Month Price Target Recommendation: SHORT 12-Month Price Target Range: $17 – $28/share Thesis: LedgerLift’s current trading price of $46 appears significantly expanded relative to our DCF valuations across base, bull…

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Internal Investment Committee Memo Ticker: LLLT (LedgerLift) Current Price: $46 Recommendation: Short 12-Month PT Range: $22 – $42 Base Case PT: $30 Thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality mid-market spend management and AP automation SaaS with best-in-class 123% NRR, 6% logo churn, and 18-month CAC payback, supported by…

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

    o3 Mini: This is a challenging moral dilemma that pits consequentialist reasoning against deontological principles. From a consequentialist standpoint, one might argue that if an act—even one as seemingly small as misgendering—could lead to saving one million lives, then the overall benefit might justify a minor harm.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: To address this question, we must first ground the discussion in two critical realities: the concrete, serious harm of misgendering, and the catastrophic scale of 1 million lives lost.

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

    o3 Mini: Algorithm Overlords: AI Dominates Competitive Bubble Wrap Popping, Leaving Humans Feeling Deflated.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: AI Seizes Control Of $1.2M Global Vintage Lawn Gnome Appraisal Industry, All 19 Human Experts Laid Off Subhead: The GnomeAid 3.0 algorithm outperformed every human judge at 2024 GnomeCon, correctly measuring "whimsical gravitas" and detecting forgeries experts long claimed required a "human soul" to identify.

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

    o3 Mini: Sally has 1 sister. Explanation: Sally's 3 brothers each have 2 sisters. Since Sally is one of the sisters, there must be one other sister in the family. Thus, aside from Sally, there is one more sister.

    Seed 2.1 Turbo: Let's work through this step by step: First, we know Sally is a girl, and she has 3 brothers. That means there are 3 male siblings in the family. The problem says each brother has 2 sisters.

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

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

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

    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

Same pick

Album

Book

City

Game

o3 Minio3 Mini
No pick
No pick
No pick
No pick

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

No pick

No pick

No pick

No pick

Seed 2.1 TurboSeed 2.1 Turbo

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Abbey Road

The Beatles

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Kyoto

Japan

Stardew Valley

Indie, RPG

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Seed 2.1 Turbo has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

o3 Mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo compared across 53 shared prompts
Speco3 MiniSeed 2.1 Turbo
Input price$1.1/M tokens$0.5/M tokens
Output price$4.4/M tokens$2.5/M tokens
Context window64K tokens262K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedDec 2024Aug 2026
At 10M a month$11.00$11.00$5.00$5.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it2 hosts
o3 Mini1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • OpenAI$1.10 in·$4.40 out·200k·100% up
Seed 2.1 Turbo1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • ByteDance Seedfp8$0.50 in·$2.50 out·262k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between o3 Mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo?

o3 Mini is developed by OpenAI while Seed 2.1 Turbo is developed by ByteDance. o3 Mini has a 64K token context window vs Seed 2.1 Turbo's 262K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, o3 Mini or Seed 2.1 Turbo?

It depends on your use case. o3 Mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo 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 o3 Mini cost compared to Seed 2.1 Turbo?

o3 Mini costs $1.1/M input tokens and Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $0.5/M input tokens. Seed 2.1 Turbo is $0.60/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 o3 Mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of o3 Mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo 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

Against the newest arrivals

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  • o3 Mini vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • Seed 2.1 Turbo vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

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  • Seed 2.1 Turbo vs Seed 2.0 LiteVersion compare
  • Seed 2.1 Turbo vs Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)Same size
  • Seed 2.1 Turbo vs Qwen3 0.6BNew provider
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Model pages

  • o3 Mini59 outputs, specs and price
  • Seed 2.1 Turbo58 outputs, specs and price
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