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 not-yet-sourced 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, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is ~567% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-07-18 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 128K | — |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| 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 | $0.6/1M tokens | $4/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4o Mini (07-18) | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 3.6 | 72.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Aider Polyglot has GPT-4o Mini (07-18) at 3.6 and o4-mini at 72, with o4-mini ahead by 68.4 points. The largest visible gap is 68.4 points on Aider Polyglot, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: o4-mini, reasoning mode: o4-mini, function calling: o4-mini, and tool use: o4-mini. Both models share vision, structured outputs, and code execution, 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, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) lists $0.15/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens, while o4-mini lists $1/1M input and $4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GPT-4o Mini (07-18) lower by about $1.61 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4o Mini (07-18) when coding workflow support and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose o4-mini when coding workflow support are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) or o4-mini?
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4o Mini (07-18) costs $0.15/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens. o4-mini costs $1/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4o Mini (07-18) or o4-mini open source?
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is listed under Proprietary. o4-mini 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, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) or o4-mini?
Both GPT-4o Mini (07-18) and o4-mini expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) or o4-mini?
o4-mini has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input 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, GPT-4o Mini (07-18) or o4-mini?
o4-mini 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 GPT-4o Mini (07-18) and o4-mini?
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. o4-mini is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.