Seed 2.0 Lite vs GPT-5.1 Codex mini
Seed 2.0 Lite comes out ahead, 73 to 59 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
- Our pick
ByteDance SeedSeed 2.0 Lite
73/100- ECI—
- Price$0.089 / $0.534
- Context256K
OpenAIGPT-5.1 Codex mini
59/100- ECI—
- Price$0.25 / $2.00
- Context400K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Seed 2.0 Lite is our pick
Seed 2.0 Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against GPT-5.1 Codex mini (59). It leads on price and inputs & features. GPT-5.1 Codex mini wins on context window. 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 priceSeed 2.0 LiteSeed 2.0 Lite $0.20 · GPT-5.1 Codex mini $0.688 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGPT-5.1 Codex miniGPT-5.1 Codex mini 400,000 · Seed 2.0 Lite 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSeed 2.0 LiteSeed 2.0 Lite: Text, Images, Video · GPT-5.1 Codex mini: Text, Images
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Seed 2.0 Lite | GPT-5.1 Codex mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 83 | 58 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 70 |
| Context window | 20% | 36 | 44 |
| Overall | 100% | 73/100 | 59/100 |
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 | Seed 2.0 LiteByteDance Seed | GPT-5.1 Codex miniOpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.089 (best) | $0.25 |
| Output | $0.534 (best) | $2.00 |
| Cached input | $0.018 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.20 (best) | $0.688 |
| Long-context rate | Over 32K: $0.134 / $0.802 | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Volcengine Ark API | Median of 10 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 256,000 tokens | 400,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 32,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | doubao-seed-2-0-lite-260428 | — |
| API providers | 6 | 10 (best) |
| Released | Feb 14, 2026 | Nov 13, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | Sep 30, 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Seed 2.0 Lite$1.96
- GPT-5.1 Codex mini$6.50
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Seed 2.0 Lite or GPT-5.1 Codex mini?
Seed 2.0 Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against GPT-5.1 Codex mini (59). It leads on price and inputs & features. GPT-5.1 Codex mini wins on context window. 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, Seed 2.0 Lite or GPT-5.1 Codex mini?
Seed 2.0 Lite is cheaper at $0.089 input / $0.534 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). GPT-5.1 Codex mini costs $0.25 input / $2.00 output per million tokens (median across 10 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.20 per million tokens for Seed 2.0 Lite versus $0.688 for GPT-5.1 Codex mini (3.4× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Seed 2.0 Lite has not been scored yet and GPT-5.1 Codex mini has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Seed 2.0 Lite and GPT-5.1 Codex mini 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?
GPT-5.1 Codex mini has the largest context window at 400,000 tokens, against 256,000 for Seed 2.0 Lite. Maximum output per response: Seed 2.0 Lite up to 32,000, GPT-5.1 Codex mini up to 128,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Seed 2.0 Lite accepts text, images and video; GPT-5.1 Codex mini accepts text and images. Seed 2.0 Lite handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
No. Seed 2.0 Lite and GPT-5.1 Codex mini are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Seed 2.0 Lite is the newest, released Feb 14, 2026. GPT-5.1 Codex mini came out Nov 13, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.1 Codex mini Sep 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.
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