ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-5.4 nano

GPT-5.4 nano comes out ahead, 68 to 60 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. OpenAI

    GPT-4.1 mini

    Released Apr 14, 2025

    60/100
    • ECI135.0
    • Price$0.40 / $1.60
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove GPT-4.1 mini
  2. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5.4 nano

    Released Mar 17, 2026

    68/100
    • ECI145.8
    • Price$0.20 / $1.25
    • Context400K
    Full specs Remove GPT-5.4 nano

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GPT-5.4 nano is our pick

GPT-5.4 nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against GPT-4.1 mini (60). It leads on capability and price. GPT-4.1 mini wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGPT-5.4 nanoCapabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.4 nano 145.8 · GPT-4.1 mini 135.0
  • Lowest priceGPT-5.4 nanoGPT-5.4 nano $0.463 · GPT-4.1 mini $0.70 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4.1 mini 1,047,576 · GPT-5.4 nano 400,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4.1 mini: Text, Images, PDFs · GPT-5.4 nano: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-4.1 miniGPT-5.4 nano
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%5973
Price25%5766
Inputs & features15%7070
Context window10%6144
Overall100%60/10068/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

GPT-4.1 mini vs GPT-5.4 nano specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-4.1 miniOpenAIGPT-5.4 nanoOpenAI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)135.0145.8 (best)
ECI rank#115 of 148#75 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions65.9%78.5% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics6.7%44.9% (best)
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics44.7%87.8% (best)
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions12.7% (best)11.7%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.40$0.20 (best)
Output$1.60$1.25 (best)
Cached input$0.10$0.02 (best)
Blended (3:1)$0.70$0.463 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial OpenAI APIOfficial OpenAI API
Limits
Context window1,047,576 tokens (best)400,000 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens128,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsYesNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYeslow · medium · high · xhigh
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDgpt-4.1-minigpt-5.4-nano
API providers2426 (best)
ReleasedApr 14, 2025Mar 17, 2026
Knowledge cutoffApr 2024Aug 31, 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • GPT-4.1 mini$7.20
  • GPT-5.4 nano$4.50
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-5.4 nano?

GPT-5.4 nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against GPT-4.1 mini (60). It leads on capability and price. GPT-4.1 mini wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 mini or GPT-5.4 nano?

GPT-5.4 nano is cheaper at $0.20 input / $1.25 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.40 input / $1.60 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.463 per million tokens for GPT-5.4 nano versus $0.70 for GPT-4.1 mini (1.5× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GPT-5.4 nano scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.4 nano 145.8 (#75 of 148) and GPT-4.1 mini 135.0 (#115 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (143.2–147.7 vs 131.2–136.6), so the gap is a real one. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GPT-5.4 nano 78.5%, GPT-4.1 mini 65.9%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — GPT-5.4 nano 44.9%, GPT-4.1 mini 6.7%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GPT-5.4 nano 87.8%, GPT-4.1 mini 44.7%; SimpleQA Verified — GPT-4.1 mini 12.7%, GPT-5.4 nano 11.7%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-5.4 nano yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, GPT-5.4 nano leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

GPT-4.1 mini has the largest context window at 1,047,576 tokens, against 400,000 for GPT-5.4 nano. Maximum output per response: GPT-4.1 mini up to 32,768, GPT-5.4 nano up to 128,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-4.1 mini accepts text, images and PDFs; GPT-5.4 nano accepts text and images. GPT-4.1 mini handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-5.4 nano are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

GPT-5.4 nano is the newest, released Mar 17, 2026. GPT-4.1 mini came out Apr 14, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-4.1 mini Apr 2024, GPT-5.4 nano Aug 31, 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

Related comparisons