o3 vs o4 Mini
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
o3 by OpenAI wins on 10 of 15 benchmarks against o4 Mini by OpenAI, which leads on 4. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from the AI Value Index.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, o3 scores 1380 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to o4 Mini's 1350, while o3 scores 84.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to o4 Mini's 80.0%.
Coding: In coding, o3 scores 90.0% on HumanEval+ compared to o4 Mini's 88.0%, while o3 scores 69.1% on SWE-bench Verified compared to o4 Mini's 68.1%, while o3 scores 70.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to o4 Mini's 58.0%.
Math: In math, o3 scores 96.0% on MATH compared to o4 Mini's 93.0%, while o3 scores 98.5% on GSM8K compared to o4 Mini's 97.5%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, o3 scores 83.3% on GPQA Diamond compared to o4 Mini's 81.4%, while o3 scores 75.7% on ARC-AGI compared to o4 Mini's 55.0%.
Context: In context, both score 200K on Context Length.
Multimodal: In multimodal, o3 scores 86.8% on MathVista compared to o4 Mini's 84.3%.
Pricing Comparison
o3 costs $2.0/1M input tokens and $8.0/1M output tokens, while o4 Mini costs $1.1/1M input and $4.4/1M output. o4 Mini is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
o3 generates output at 40 tok/s compared to o4 Mini's 120 tok/s, and the time to first token is 800 ms for o3 versus 300 ms for o4 Mini. o4 Mini delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and math, o3 has the edge. For those who value affordability and speed, o4 Mini is the stronger choice.
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o3 vs o4 Mini — FAQ
Which is better, o3 or o4 Mini?
o3 wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does o3 compare to o4 Mini for coding?
o3 is better for coding, scoring 69.1% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 68.1%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is o3 cheaper than o4 Mini?
Yes, o4 Mini is cheaper. o3 costs $2.0/1M input and $8.0/1M output tokens. o4 Mini costs $1.1/1M input and $4.4/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, o3 or o4 Mini?
o4 Mini is faster, generating output at 120 tok/s compared to 40 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the o3 vs o4 Mini comparison cover?
This comparison covers 15 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, Time to First Token, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.