ModelRefs / GPT-5 Mini vs o3 Pro
GPT-5 Mini vs o3 Pro
GPT-5 Mini vs o3 Pro: side-by-side benchmarks, pricing, context windows, coding ability and deployment. Pick the right model for your stack.
Overview
GPT-5 Mini: GPT-5 Mini is OpenAI's August 2025 cost-efficient reasoning model for well-defined, latency-sensitive, and high-volume workloads. The API model supports text input and output, image input, configurable reasoning effort, and an immutable gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07 snapshot; OpenAI now classifies it as a previous-generation model.
o3 Pro: o3 Pro is OpenAI's highest-capability reasoning model, applying extended compute at inference time to solve complex scientific, mathematical, and programming problems. It achieved the highest published scores on ARC-AGI-2 and competitive programming benchmarks at its June 2025 release.
Context window: GPT-5 Mini accepts up to 400,000 tokens, o3 Pro up to 200,000. Confirm the limit for your specific deployment channel before relying on it.
GPT-5 Mini vs o3 Pro at a glance
| Attribute | GPT-5 Mini | o3 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Released | 2025-08-07 | 2025-06-10 |
| Context window | 400,000 tokens | 200,000 tokens |
| Input price | $0.25/M tokens | $20/M tokens |
| Output price | $2/M tokens | $80/M tokens |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Self-hostable | No, hosted only | No, hosted only |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision |
Benchmarks reported for both
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Mini | o3 Pro | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot (pass) | 71.6 | 84.9 | 2025-08-07 |
Each row compares the same benchmark, the same reported metric, and the same task set. Scores are as published by their cited sources on the dates shown. Different runs still use different harnesses and prompts, so treat these as directional evidence rather than a head-to-head result.
Where they differ most
- Reasoning: GPT-5 Mini 88%, o3 Pro 32%. GPT-5 Mini leads on this dimension.
- Coding: GPT-5 Mini 71%, o3 Pro 85%. o3 Pro leads on this dimension.
- Instruction Following: GPT-5 Mini 72%, o3 Pro 85%. o3 Pro leads on this dimension.
Capability scores are ModelRefs' own derived signals, not vendor claims or benchmark results. Validate against your own workload before relying on them.
Continue your research
Use these connected ModelRefs sections to compare alternatives, inspect implementation paths, and review the evidence and governance boundaries relevant to GPT-5 Mini vs o3 Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, GPT-5 Mini or o3 Pro?
GPT-5 Mini and o3 Pro target different workloads — see the benchmark and pricing tables for a side-by-side answer.
Is GPT-5 Mini cheaper than o3 Pro?
Compare $0.00025 vs $0.0200 on this page.