o3 vs o4-mini Deep Research
Compare OpenAI and OpenAI AI models
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
o3
o4-mini Deep Research
Cost Differences
o4-mini Deep Research costs less than o3
Feature Comparison
| Feature | o3 | o4-mini Deep Research |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $2.00/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $8.00/1M tokens | $8.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 1,000,000 tokens | 200,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 131,072 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Category | reasoning | reasoning |
| Capabilities | textreasoningvisioncode | textreasoningcode |
| Release Date | 4/16/2025 | 6/26/2025 |
o3 vs o4-mini Deep Research: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between o3 and o4-mini Deep Research depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. o4-mini Deep Research is the more affordable option at $2.00/1M input tokens. Meanwhile, o3 offers a significantly larger context window at 1,000,000 tokens vs 200,000 for o4-mini Deep Research.
Both models are in the reasoning category, making this a direct head-to-head comparison. At scale — say 10,000 requests per day — the cost difference adds up: o4-mini Deep Research would save you roughly $0.00/month compared to o3. For startups and indie developers, that difference can be significant.
Output costs matter too. o3 charges $8.00/1M output tokens vs $8.00 for o4-mini Deep Research.
Multimodal capabilities: o3 supports vision (image inputs) while o4-mini Deep Research is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose o3 when:
- • You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (vision)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 131,072 tokens)
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Choose o4-mini Deep Research when:
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
o3 (OpenAI)
o4-mini Deep Research (OpenAI)
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