Claude 3.5 Haiku vs GPT-4o-mini Search Preview
Claude 3.5 Haiku (2024) and GPT-4o-mini Search Preview (2025) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and OpenAI. Claude 3.5 Haiku ships a 200k-token context window, while GPT-4o-mini Search Preview ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview costs $0.15/1M input tokens versus $0.80/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is ~433% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for Claude 3.5 Haiku only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude 3.5 Haiku | GPT-4o-mini Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $0.60/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude 3.5 Haiku has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude 3.5 Haiku has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude 3.5 Haiku uniquely exposes Vision, Reasoning, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude 3.5 Haiku for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- GPT-4o-mini Search Preview has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.60/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o-mini Search Preview for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude 3.5 Haiku
$1,640
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Anthropic
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview
$270
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,370. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is $3.40/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Reasoning, and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude 3.5 Haiku is $3.40/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude 3.5 Haiku adds Vision, Reasoning, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-10-22 | 2025-02-26 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude 3.5 Haiku | GPT-4o-mini Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.80/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $0.60/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude 3.5 Haiku | GPT-4o-mini Search Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Claude 3.5 Haiku, reasoning mode: Claude 3.5 Haiku, and code execution: Claude 3.5 Haiku. Both models share structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Claude 3.5 Haiku lists $0.80/1M input and $4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while GPT-4o-mini Search Preview lists $0.15/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GPT-4o-mini Search Preview lower by about $1.47 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude 3.5 Haiku when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose GPT-4o-mini Search Preview when provider fit and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude 3.5 Haiku or GPT-4o-mini Search Preview?
Claude 3.5 Haiku supports 200k tokens, while GPT-4o-mini Search Preview supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Claude 3.5 Haiku or GPT-4o-mini Search Preview?
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude 3.5 Haiku costs $0.80/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. GPT-4o-mini Search Preview costs $0.15/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude 3.5 Haiku or GPT-4o-mini Search Preview open source?
Claude 3.5 Haiku is listed under Proprietary. GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Claude 3.5 Haiku or GPT-4o-mini Search Preview?
Claude 3.5 Haiku has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Claude 3.5 Haiku or GPT-4o-mini Search Preview?
Claude 3.5 Haiku has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Claude 3.5 Haiku and GPT-4o-mini Search Preview?
Claude 3.5 Haiku is available on Anthropic, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, and Replicate API. GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is available on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.