Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
GPT-4.1
GPT-5
Cost Differences
GPT-5 costs more than GPT-4.1
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GPT-4.1 | GPT-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $2.00/1M tokens | $1.25/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $8.00/1M tokens | $10.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 200,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Category | flagship | flagship |
| Capabilities | textvisioncode | textvisionaudiocode |
| Release Date | 4/14/2025 | 8/7/2025 |
GPT-4.1 vs GPT-5: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between GPT-4.1 and GPT-5 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. GPT-4.1 is the more affordable option at $2.00/1M input tokens. Meanwhile, GPT-5 offers a significantly larger context window at 1,000,000 tokens vs 200,000 for GPT-4.1.
Both models are in the flagship category, making this a direct head-to-head comparison. At scale — say 10,000 requests per day — the cost difference adds up: GPT-4.1 would save you roughly $75.00/month compared to GPT-5. For startups and indie developers, that difference can be significant.
Output costs matter too. GPT-4.1 charges $8.00/1M output tokens vs $10.00 for GPT-5. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. GPT-4.1 has the edge here at $8.00/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: Both models support vision (image understanding), so you can send images alongside text prompts with either option.
Best Use Cases
Choose GPT-4.1 when:
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Choose GPT-5 when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (audio)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 131,072 tokens)
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
GPT-4.1 (OpenAI)
GPT-5 (OpenAI)
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