Is GPT-4o or GPT-4o mini cheaper?

For a typical request (10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens), GPT-4o mini is cheaper — about 94% less, or roughly $4230 saved per 100,000 requests. GPT-4o runs $2.5/$10 per 1M input/output tokens; GPT-4o mini runs $0.15/$0.6.

Which has the larger context window?

Both support a 128,000-token context window.

How accurate are these token counts?

GPT-4o: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). GPT-4o mini: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). The dollar math itself is exact once the token count is known.

GPT-4o vs GPT-4o mini: pricing & cost comparison

On input tokens, GPT-4o mini is the cheaper of the two — 94% less per million ($2.5 vs $0.15). On output, GPT-4o mini is 94% cheaper ($10 vs $0.6) — and since output is usually the dominant cost driver, that gap matters more than it looks.

Side by side

	GPT-4o	GPT-4o mini
Input / 1M tokens	$2.5	$0.15
Output / 1M tokens	$10	$0.6
Context window	128,000	128,000
Token-count accuracy	exact	exact
Cost — 10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens	$0.045	$0.0027

What a real request costs

Take a representative turn — 10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens. GPT-4o comes to $0.045, GPT-4o mini to $0.0027. Across 100,000 requests that's a $4230 swing in favour of GPT-4o 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-4o and GPT-4o 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-4o mini ($0.15/$0.6 per 1M) and reserve GPT-4o for the requests that visibly need its extra headroom. On the worked example above that split is worth about 94% per request — small per call, real money once you multiply by volume.

See the full breakdown on the dedicated pages for GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini.

FAQ

Is GPT-4o or GPT-4o mini cheaper?: For a typical request (10,000 input + 2,000 output tokens), GPT-4o mini is cheaper — about 94% less, or roughly $4230 saved per 100,000 requests. GPT-4o runs $2.5/$10 per 1M input/output tokens; GPT-4o mini runs $0.15/$0.6.
Which has the larger context window?: Both support a 128,000-token context window.
How accurate are these token counts?: GPT-4o: Exact tokenization via the canonical OpenAI vocab (o200k_base). GPT-4o 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 2026-05-18. Vendor pricing changes often — confirm before you commit.