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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-4o (2024-11-20) vs o4 Mini

GPT-4o (2024-11-20) (OpenAI) and o4 Mini (OpenAI) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, o4 Mini holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#57 vs #108); o4 Mini is 2.3× cheaper per output token ($4.40/1M vs $10.00/1M); and o4 Mini offers the longer context window (200K vs 128K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-4o (2024-11-20) if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which GPT-4o (2024-11-20) leads o4 Mini for this pair.

Choose o4 Mini if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #57 against #108 (43.5 vs 22.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $4.40/1M output tokens against $10.00/1M, about 2.3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $1.10/1M against $2.50/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 200K tokens against 128K.
  • you want the more recently listed model — o4 Mini was listed 16 April 2025, GPT-4o (2024-11-20) 20 November 2024.

GPT-4o (2024-11-20) vs o4 Mini: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-4o (2024-11-20) and o4 Mini
FieldGPT-4o (2024-11-20)OpenAIo4 MiniOpenAI
ModelCap Index position#108#57
Index score22.543.5
EvidenceEstimatedMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$2.50$1.10
Output price / 1M tokens$10.00$4.40
Context window128K tokens200K tokens
Max output tokens16K100K
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, FileImage, Text, File
First listed20 November 202416 April 2025
PublisherOpenAIOpenAI

Evidence: publisher corpus prior · leave-one-anchor-out calibrated · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: GPT-4o (2024-11-20) vs o4 Mini

Public benchmark boards where GPT-4o (2024-11-20) or o4 Mini has a published result
BoardGPT-4o (2024-11-20)o4 MiniLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—14331426–1440Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—6.1%HighOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis—26.1intelligence-indexOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

GPT-4o (2024-11-20) vs o4 Mini: common questions

Is GPT-4o (2024-11-20) better than o4 Mini?

o4 Mini ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #57 against #108. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is GPT-4o (2024-11-20) cheaper than o4 Mini?

o4 Mini is cheaper on output tokens: $4.40/1M against $10.00/1M. Input tokens are $2.50/1M for GPT-4o (2024-11-20) and $1.10/1M for o4 Mini. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, GPT-4o (2024-11-20) or o4 Mini?

o4 Mini has the larger context window: 200K tokens against 128K.

Which is better for coding, GPT-4o (2024-11-20) or o4 Mini?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are GPT-4o (2024-11-20) and o4 Mini open-weight models?

GPT-4o (2024-11-20): API only. o4 Mini: API only. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run GPT-4o (2024-11-20) and o4 Mini?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for GPT-4o (2024-11-20) and 1 for o4 Mini, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this GPT-4o (2024-11-20) vs o4 Mini comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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