Phi-4-mini vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct comes out ahead, 72 to 56 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
MicrosoftPhi-4-mini
56/100- ECI—
- Price$0.075 / $0.30
- Context128K
- Our pickMicrosoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
72/100- ECI—
- Price$0.07 / $0.11
- Context131K
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Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is our pick
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 72/100 against Phi-4-mini (56). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest pricePhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-multimodal-instruct $0.08 · Phi-4-mini $0.131 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextPhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-multimodal-instruct 131,072 · Phi-4-mini 128,000 tokens
- Widest inputsPhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-mini: Text · Phi-4-multimodal-instruct: Text, Images, Audio
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Phi-4-mini | Phi-4-multimodal-instruct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 88 | 98 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 25 | 60 |
| Context window | 20% | 24 | 25 |
| Overall | 100% | 56/100 | 72/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Phi-4-miniMicrosoft | Phi-4-multimodal-instructMicrosoft |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.075 | $0.07 (best) |
| Output | $0.30 | $0.11 (best) |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.131 | $0.08 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Azure API | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 131,072 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 4,096 tokens | 131,072 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | Yes |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | OpenMIT |
| API model ID | phi-4-mini | — |
| API providers | 2 (best) | 1 |
| Released | Feb 26, 2025 | Feb 26, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jun 2024 | Jun 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Phi-4-mini$1.35
- Phi-4-multimodal-instruct$0.92
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Phi-4-mini or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 72/100 against Phi-4-mini (56). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Phi-4-mini or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.11 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Phi-4-mini costs $0.075 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official Azure API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.08 per million tokens for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct versus $0.131 for Phi-4-mini (1.6× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Phi-4-mini has not been scored yet and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Phi-4-mini and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 128,000 for Phi-4-mini. Maximum output per response: Phi-4-mini up to 4,096, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct up to 131,072 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Phi-4-mini accepts text; Phi-4-multimodal-instruct accepts text, images and audio. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (MIT), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Phi-4-mini is the newest, released Feb 26, 2025. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct came out Feb 26, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Phi-4-mini Jun 2024, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct Jun 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 Nov 2, 2026.
