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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-4o-mini vs GPT-5.2 Chat

GPT-4o-mini (OpenAI) and GPT-5.2 Chat (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, GPT-5.2 Chat holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#9 vs #216); and GPT-4o-mini is 23.3× cheaper per output token ($0.60/1M vs $14.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-4o-mini if…

  • API cost matters — $0.60/1M output tokens against $14.00/1M, about 23.3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.15/1M against $1.75/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 2 listed API providers against 1.

Choose GPT-5.2 Chat if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #9 against #216 (74.9 vs 1.1 points).
  • you want the more recently listed model — GPT-5.2 Chat was listed 10 December 2025, GPT-4o-mini 18 July 2024.

GPT-4o-mini vs GPT-5.2 Chat: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-4o-mini and GPT-5.2 Chat
FieldGPT-4o-miniOpenAIGPT-5.2 ChatOpenAI
ModelCap Index position#216#9
Index score1.174.9
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.15$1.75
Output price / 1M tokens$0.60$14.00
Context window128K tokens128K tokens
Max output tokens16K32K
API providers listed21
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, FileFile, Image, Text
First listed18 July 202410 December 2025
PublisherOpenAIOpenAI

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: GPT-4o-mini vs GPT-5.2 Chat

Public benchmark boards where GPT-4o-mini or GPT-5.2 Chat has a published result
BoardGPT-4o-miniGPT-5.2 ChatLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—15151508–1522Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation0.0%—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis6.7intelligence-index—Only 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-mini vs GPT-5.2 Chat: common questions

Is GPT-4o-mini better than GPT-5.2 Chat?

GPT-5.2 Chat ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #9 against #216. 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-mini cheaper than GPT-5.2 Chat?

GPT-4o-mini is cheaper on output tokens: $0.60/1M against $14.00/1M. Input tokens are $0.15/1M for GPT-4o-mini and $1.75/1M for GPT-5.2 Chat. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, GPT-4o-mini or GPT-5.2 Chat?

Both publish a 128K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, GPT-4o-mini or GPT-5.2 Chat?

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-mini and GPT-5.2 Chat open-weight models?

GPT-4o-mini: API only. GPT-5.2 Chat: 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-mini and GPT-5.2 Chat?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for GPT-4o-mini and 1 for GPT-5.2 Chat, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this GPT-4o-mini vs GPT-5.2 Chat 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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