GPT-4o (08-06) vs GPT-5
GPT-4o (08-06) (2024) and GPT-5 (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI. GPT-4o (08-06) ships a 128k-token context window, while GPT-5 ships a 400k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, GPT-5 leads by 64.9 pts. On pricing, GPT-5 costs $1.25/1M input tokens versus $2.50/1M 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-5 is ~100% cheaper at $1.25/1M; pay for GPT-4o (08-06) only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o (08-06) | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 400k |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | Aider Polyglot leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o (08-06) for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- GPT-5 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 64.9 points.
- GPT-5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GPT-5 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- GPT-5 uniquely exposes Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GPT-4o (08-06)
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
GPT-5
$3,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Estimated monthly gap: $1,000. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and OpenAI API; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- GPT-5 adds Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenAI API and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-08-06 | 2025-08-07 |
| Context window | 128k | 400k |
| Parameters | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Weights | Not released | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | 2024-09 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o (08-06) | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.50/1M tokens | $1.25/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o (08-06) | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4o (08-06) | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 23.1 | 88.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.