Is GPT-4.1 or GPT-4.1 Mini cheaper?

For a typical request (10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens), GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper — about 80% less, or roughly $2880 saved per 100,000 requests. GPT-4.1 runs $2/$8 per 1M input/output tokens; GPT-4.1 Mini runs $0.4/$1.6.

Which has the larger context window?

Both support a 1,047,576-token context window.

How accurate are these token counts?

GPT-4.1: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). GPT-4.1 Mini: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). The dollar math itself is exact once the token count is known.

GPT-4.1 vs GPT-4.1 Mini: pricing & cost comparison

On input tokens, GPT-4.1 Mini is the cheaper of the two — 80% less per million ($2 vs $0.4). On output, GPT-4.1 Mini is 80% cheaper ($8 vs $1.6) — and since output is usually the dominant cost driver, that gap matters more than it looks.

Side by side

	GPT-4.1	GPT-4.1 Mini
Input / 1M tokens	$2	$0.4
Output / 1M tokens	$8	$1.6
Context window	1,047,576	1,047,576
Token-count accuracy	exact	exact
Cost — 10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens	$0.036	$0.0072

What a real request costs

Take a representative turn — 10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens. GPT-4.1 comes to $0.036, GPT-4.1 Mini to $0.0072. Across 100,000 requests that's a $2880 swing in favour of GPT-4.1 Mini. To run the numbers on your actual prompt, paste it into the calculator and toggle Compare across all models.

Same family — pick on price

Moving between GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 Mini is a one-line model-string change — same family, same tokenizer, nothing to re-encode. That makes this a straight cost/quality call: send the routine bulk of traffic to GPT-4.1 Mini ($0.4/$1.6 per 1M) and reserve GPT-4.1 for the requests that visibly need its extra headroom. On the worked example above that split is worth about 80% per request — small per call, real money once you multiply by volume.

See the full breakdown on the dedicated pages for GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 Mini.

FAQ

Is GPT-4.1 or GPT-4.1 Mini cheaper?: For a typical request (10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens), GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper — about 80% less, or roughly $2880 saved per 100,000 requests. GPT-4.1 runs $2/$8 per 1M input/output tokens; GPT-4.1 Mini runs $0.4/$1.6.
Which has the larger context window?: Both support a 1,047,576-token context window.
How accurate are these token counts?: GPT-4.1: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). GPT-4.1 Mini: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). The dollar math itself is exact once the token count is known.

Both prices are computed from tokenmath's verified pricing table. Rates sourced from openai.com, verified 2026-05-09. Vendor pricing changes often — confirm before you commit.