GPT-4o Mini (07-18) vs o4-mini
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) (2024) and o4-mini (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI. GPT-4o Mini (07-18) ships a 128k-token context window, while o4-mini ships a 200k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, o4-mini leads by 68.4 pts. On pricing, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) costs $0.15/1M input tokens versus $1/1M 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 (07-18) is ~567% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $0.60/1M tokens | $4/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | Aider Polyglot leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-4o Mini (07-18) has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.60/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o Mini (07-18) for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- o4-mini holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 68.4 points.
- o4-mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o4-mini has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- o4-mini uniquely exposes Multimodal, Reasoning, and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o4-mini 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 Mini (07-18)
$270
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
o4-mini
$1,800
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Estimated monthly gap: $1,530. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, and Replicate API; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o4-mini is $3.40/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- o4-mini adds Multimodal, Reasoning, and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, and Replicate API; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is $3.40/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal, Reasoning, and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-07-18 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 128k | 200k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | 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 | 2025-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.15/1M tokens | $1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.60/1M tokens | $4/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | 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 Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 3.6 | 72.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.