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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-4.1 nano vs GPT-5 Nano

GPT-5 Nano comes out ahead, 70 to 63 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. OpenAI

    GPT-4.1 nano

    Released Apr 14, 2025Deprecated

    63/100
    • ECI129.6
    • Price$0.10 / $0.40
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove GPT-4.1 nano
  2. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5 Nano

    Released Aug 7, 2025

    70/100
    • ECI139.4
    • Price$0.05 / $0.40
    • Context400K
    Full specs Remove GPT-5 Nano

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GPT-5 Nano is our pick

GPT-5 Nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 70/100 against GPT-4.1 nano (63). It leads on capability, price and inputs & features. GPT-4.1 nano wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGPT-5 NanoCapabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5 Nano 139.4 · GPT-4.1 nano 129.6
  • Lowest priceGPT-5 NanoGPT-5 Nano $0.138 · GPT-4.1 nano $0.175 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-4.1 nanoGPT-4.1 nano 1,047,576 · GPT-5 Nano 400,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGPT-4.1 nano: Text, Images · GPT-5 Nano: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-4.1 nanoGPT-5 Nano
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%5265
Price25%8691
Inputs & features15%6070
Context window10%6144
Overall100%63/10070/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GPT-4.1 nano vs GPT-5 Nano specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-4.1 nanoOpenAIGPT-5 NanoOpenAI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)129.6139.4 (best)
ECI rank#127 of 148#102 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions48.9%69.4% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics—20.0%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics28.9%81.1% (best)
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions6.0%11.7% (best)
Price per million tokens
Input$0.10$0.05 (best)
Output$0.40$0.40
Cached input$0.025$0.005 (best)
Blended (3:1)$0.175$0.138 (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
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYesminimal · low · medium · high
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDgpt-4.1-nanogpt-5-nano
API providers2021 (best)
ReleasedApr 14, 2025Aug 7, 2025
Knowledge cutoffApr 2024May 30, 2024
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 nano$1.80
  • GPT-5 Nano$1.30
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-4.1 nano or GPT-5 Nano?

GPT-5 Nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 70/100 against GPT-4.1 nano (63). It leads on capability, price and inputs & features. GPT-4.1 nano wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 nano or GPT-5 Nano?

GPT-5 Nano is cheaper at $0.05 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). GPT-4.1 nano costs $0.10 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.138 per million tokens for GPT-5 Nano versus $0.175 for GPT-4.1 nano (1.3× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GPT-5 Nano scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5 Nano 139.4 (#102 of 148) and GPT-4.1 nano 129.6 (#127 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (134.9–141.7 vs 123.2–132.0), so the gap is a real one. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GPT-5 Nano 69.4%, GPT-4.1 nano 48.9%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GPT-5 Nano 81.1%, GPT-4.1 nano 28.9%; SimpleQA Verified — GPT-5 Nano 11.7%, GPT-4.1 nano 6.0%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-4.1 nano and GPT-5 Nano yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, GPT-5 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 nano has the largest context window at 1,047,576 tokens, against 400,000 for GPT-5 Nano. Maximum output per response: GPT-4.1 nano up to 32,768, GPT-5 Nano up to 128,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-4.1 nano accepts text and images; GPT-5 Nano accepts text and images. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

No. GPT-4.1 nano and GPT-5 Nano are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

GPT-5 Nano is the newest, released Aug 7, 2025. GPT-4.1 nano came out Apr 14, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-4.1 nano Apr 2024, GPT-5 Nano May 30, 2024.

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

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