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GPT-5.4 mini vs GPT-4o mini — OpenAI Budget Showdown
GPT-4o mini is 80% cheaper on input and 87% cheaper on output. But GPT-5.4 mini has 3x more context at 400K tokens. Which OpenAI budget model should you pick?
Pricing data verified: Jul 4, 2026
All Budget Models Compared
Budget-tier AI models from major providers, ranked by input price.
| Model | Provider | Tier | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-oss 20B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.08 | $0.35 | 128K |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | Budget | $0.10 | $0.40 | 1M | |
| Mistral Small 4 | Mistral | Budget | $0.10 | $0.30 | 128K |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.14 | $0.28 | 1M |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-5.4 nano | OpenAI | Budget | $0.20 | $1.25 | 400K |
| Llama 4 Maverick | Budget | $0.27 | $0.85 | 1M | |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.435 | $0.87 | 1M |
| GPT-5.4 mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.75 | $4.50 | 400K |
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Which Should You Choose?
Chatbot / Customer Support
High volume, short responses. Cost per message matters most. Both models handle conversational AI well.
Code Generation
Complex reasoning, longer outputs. Quality and accuracy matter. Both handle coding tasks well.
Long Document Analysis
Processing large documents, legal contracts, or codebases. Context window is critical.
High-Volume Data Processing
Processing large datasets, extracting structured data, or running batch operations at scale.
Advanced Reasoning
Complex multi-step reasoning, math, logic, and analysis tasks that push model capabilities.
Structured Output
JSON mode, function calling, and structured data extraction. Both handle this well.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is GPT-4o mini cheaper than GPT-5.4 mini?
Yes, GPT-4o mini is significantly cheaper. It costs $0.15/$0.60 per 1M tokens while GPT-5.4 mini costs $0.75/$4.50. That's 80% cheaper on input and 87% cheaper on output. At 1M tokens/month, GPT-4o mini costs $0.75 vs GPT-5.4 mini's $5.25 — saving $4.50/month.
How much can I save switching from GPT-5.4 mini to GPT-4o mini?
You can save up to 85%+ on your AI API costs by switching to GPT-4o mini. Input tokens are 80% cheaper ($0.15 vs $0.75) and output tokens are 87% cheaper ($0.60 vs $4.50). For a typical workload of 1M input + 500K output tokens per month, you'd save about $4.50/month — that's an 86% reduction.
What does GPT-5.4 mini have that GPT-4o mini doesn't?
GPT-5.4 mini has a 400K token context window vs GPT-4o mini's 128K — that's 3x more context. GPT-5.4 mini also has improved reasoning capabilities and better performance on complex tasks. However, GPT-4o mini is 80-87% cheaper, making it the better choice for most standard workloads.
Is GPT-4o mini still supported by OpenAI?
Yes, GPT-4o mini is still fully supported by OpenAI and available through their API. It remains one of the most popular budget models due to its low cost and reliable performance. It's a great choice for cost-sensitive production workloads.
Which is better for a chatbot: GPT-5.4 mini or GPT-4o mini?
For most chatbot use cases, GPT-4o mini is the better choice. It's 80% cheaper on input and 87% cheaper on output, and chatbots rarely need the 400K context window. GPT-4o mini handles conversational AI, customer support, and FAQ-style queries well. Choose GPT-5.4 mini only if you need extended context or superior reasoning.
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