GPT-4o vs GPT-4o mini: API Pricing, Context & Automation ROI
Switching from GPT-4o to GPT-4o mini cuts token costs by 94% on compatible workflows. Compare exact token pricing and speed below.
Side-by-Side Technical & Cost Comparison
| Metric | GPT-4o (OpenAI) | GPT-4o mini (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Cost (per 1M tokens) | $2.500 | $0.150 |
| Cached Input Cost (per 1M) | $1.250 | $0.075 |
| Output Cost (per 1M tokens) | $10.00 | $0.60 |
| Max Context Window | 128,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Throughput Speed | ~110 tokens/sec | ~165 tokens/sec |
| Monthly Cost (1,000 runs/day) | $367.50 / month | $22.05 / month |
| Best Automation Use Case | Complex enterprise automation, multimodal extraction, structured JSON outputs, and high-reliability customer agents. | High-volume n8n/Make.com webhooks, email classification, data tagging, and RAG summarization at scale. |
When to Choose GPT-4o
Complex enterprise automation, multimodal extraction, structured JSON outputs, and high-reliability customer agents.
- Native JSON Schema adherence
- Fast time-to-first-token
- Vision + Audio support
- Strong function calling
When to Choose GPT-4o mini
High-volume n8n/Make.com webhooks, email classification, data tagging, and RAG summarization at scale.
- Ultra-low cost
- High throughput
- Replaces GPT-3.5 Turbo
- 99% reliability on simple JSON tasks
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