LLM Reference

GPT-5.5 vs o3 Mini

GPT-5.5 (2026) and o3 Mini (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from OpenAI. GPT-5.5 ships a 1.05m-token context window, while o3 Mini ships a 200k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, GPT-5.5 leads by 9 pts. On pricing, GPT-5.5 ranges from $5 to $8/1M input tokens by tier; o3 Mini costs $1.10/1M input tokens. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.

GPT-5.5 fits 5x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and o3 Mini for tighter calls.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalGPT-5.5o3 Mini
Best forreasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agentsreasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production
Decision fitCoding, RAG, and AgentsCoding, RAG, and Agents
Context window1.05m200k
Cheapest output$30/1M tokens$4.40/1M tokens
Provider routes4 tracked4 tracked
Shared benchmarksMMLU PRO leader5 shared

Decision tradeoffs

Choose GPT-5.5 when...
  • GPT-5.5 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 9 points.
  • GPT-5.5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
  • GPT-5.5 uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags GPT-5.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Choose o3 Mini when...
  • o3 Mini has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $4.40/1M tokens.
  • Local decision data tags o3 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.

Lower estimate o3 Mini

GPT-5.5

$11,500

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API 0-272K input tokens

o3 Mini

$1,980

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter

Estimated monthly gap: $9,520. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

GPT-5.5 -> o3 Mini
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, OpenAI API, and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • o3 Mini is $25.60/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
o3 Mini -> GPT-5.5
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • GPT-5.5 is $25.60/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • GPT-5.5 adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2026-04-232025-01-31
Context window1.05m200k
Parameters
ArchitectureDecoder OnlyDecoder Only
LicenseProprietaryProprietary
OpennessProprietaryProprietary
WeightsNot releasedNot released
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: conditionalCommercial use: conditional
Knowledge cutoff2025-122025-04

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeGPT-5.5o3 Mini
Input price
0-272K input tokens
$5/1M tokens
Standard GPT-5.5 token pricing before the long-context surcharge threshold.
272K+ input tokens
$8/1M tokens
Long-context surcharge applies above 272K input tokens for the full session.
$1.10/1M tokens
Output price
0-272K input tokens
$30/1M tokens
Standard GPT-5.5 token pricing before the long-context surcharge threshold.
272K+ input tokens
$36/1M tokens
Long-context surcharge applies above 272K input tokens for the full session.
$4.40/1M tokens
Providers

Capabilities

CapabilityGPT-5.5o3 Mini
VisionYesNo
MultimodalYesNo
ReasoningYesYes
JSON / Tool useYesYes
Structured outputsYesYes
Code executionYesYes
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkGPT-5.5o3 Mini
MMLU PRO88.179.1
SWE-bench Verified82.649.3
Google-Proof Q&A93.679.7
Chatbot Arena1488.01335.0
Aider Polyglot88.060.4

Continue comparing

Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.