o3 vs GPT-4.1
o3 comes out ahead, 58 to 53 on our weighted score.
o3 is our pick
o3 is the better all-round choice, scoring 58/100 against GPT-4.1 (53). It leads on capability and inputs & features. GPT-4.1 wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
- Capabilityo3Capabilities Index (ECI): o3 146.9 · GPT-4.1 136.8
- Lowest priceSame priceo3 $3.50 · GPT-4.1 $3.50 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGPT-4.1GPT-4.1 1,047,576 · o3 200,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputso3: Text, Images, PDFs · GPT-4.1: Text, Images, PDFs
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | o3 | GPT-4.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI) | 50% | 74 | 61 |
| Price | 25% | 24 | 24 |
| Inputs & features | 15% | 80 | 70 |
| Context window | 10% | 32 | 61 |
| Overall | 100% | 58/100 | 53/100 |
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification |  o3OpenAI | GPT-4.1OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 146.9 (best) | 136.8 |
| ECI rank | #63 of 148 (best) | #111 of 148 |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 81.8% (best) | 66.9% |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics | 33.3% (best) | 6.0% |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 84.4% (best) | 38.3% |
| SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues | 62.3% (best) | 48.5% |
| SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions | 49.4% (best) | 31.1% |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Output | $8.00 | $8.00 |
| Cached input | $0.50 | $0.50 |
| Blended (3:1) | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official OpenAI API | Official OpenAI API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 200,000 tokens | 1,047,576 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 100,000 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yeslow · medium · high | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | o3 | gpt-4.1 |
| API providers | 18 | 25 (best) |
| Released | Apr 16, 2025 | Apr 14, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | May 2024 | Apr 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- o3$36.00
- GPT-4.1$36.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: o3 or GPT-4.1?
o3 is the better all-round choice, scoring 58/100 against GPT-4.1 (53). It leads on capability and inputs & features. GPT-4.1 wins on context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
Which is cheaper, o3 or GPT-4.1?
o3 and GPT-4.1 cost the same: $2.00 input / $8.00 output per million tokens.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
o3 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): o3 146.9 (#63 of 148) and GPT-4.1 136.8 (#111 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (144.9–148.6 vs 133.6–138.4), so the gap is a real one. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — o3 81.8%, GPT-4.1 66.9%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — o3 33.3%, GPT-4.1 6.0%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — o3 84.4%, GPT-4.1 38.3%; SWE-bench Verified — o3 62.3%, GPT-4.1 48.5%; SimpleQA Verified — o3 49.4%, GPT-4.1 31.1%.
Which is better for coding?
o3 resolves more real GitHub issues on SWE-bench Verified: o3 62.3% and GPT-4.1 48.5%. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-4.1 has the largest context window at 1,047,576 tokens, against 200,000 for o3. Maximum output per response: o3 up to 100,000, GPT-4.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
o3 accepts text, images and PDFs; GPT-4.1 accepts text, images and PDFs. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. o3 and GPT-4.1 are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
o3 is the newest, released Apr 16, 2025. GPT-4.1 came out Apr 14, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: o3 May 2024, GPT-4.1 Apr 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.
