GPT-4o (08-06) vs o3
GPT-4o (08-06) (2024) and o3 (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI. GPT-4o (08-06) ships a 128k-token context window, while o3 ships a 200k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, o3 leads by 58.2 pts. On pricing, o3 costs $2/1M 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.
o3 is safer overall; choose GPT-4o (08-06) when coding workflow support matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o (08-06) | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 200k |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $8/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | Aider Polyglot leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o (08-06) for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- o3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 58.2 points.
- o3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $8/1M tokens.
- o3 uniquely exposes Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 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
o3
$3,600
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Estimated monthly gap: $900. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenAI API and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o3 is $2/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- o3 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.
- GPT-4o (08-06) is $2/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-08-06 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 128k | 200k |
| 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 | 2024-06 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o (08-06) | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.50/1M tokens | $2/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $8/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o (08-06) | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 23.1 | 81.3 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.