Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
GPT-5 mini
o3
Cost Differences
o3 costs more than GPT-5 mini
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GPT-5 mini | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $0.25/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $2.00/1M tokens | $8.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 500,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 65,536 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Category | efficient | reasoning |
| Capabilities | textvisioncode | textreasoningvisioncode |
| Release Date | 8/7/2025 | 4/16/2025 |
GPT-5 mini vs o3: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between GPT-5 mini and o3 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. GPT-5 mini is the more affordable option at $0.25/1M input tokens — 88% cheaper than o3. Meanwhile, o3 offers a significantly larger context window at 1,000,000 tokens vs 500,000 for GPT-5 mini.
These models target different tiers: GPT-5 mini is a efficient model while o3 is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. o3 targets more demanding workloads, while GPT-5 mini provides a cost-effective option for everyday tasks.
Output costs matter too. GPT-5 mini charges $2.00/1M output tokens vs $8.00 for o3. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. GPT-5 mini has the edge here at $2.00/1M 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-5 mini when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
- • You're running high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads
Choose o3 when:
- • You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (reasoning)
- • 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-5 mini (OpenAI)
o3 (OpenAI)
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