Both are OpenAI models. GPT-5.4 Mini is the newer, generally stronger default; reach for GPT-5.4 when its lower price or specific profile matters more than the latest capabilities.
GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 Mini are both OpenAI models, so the real question is not which lab to trust but which tier fits your workload and budget. GPT-5.4 is openAI's 2026 workhorse — unifies Codex and GPT into a strong default that costs half of GPT-5.5. GPT-5.4 Mini is openAI's free, fast workhorse — capable general AI with no subscription needed. Since both come from the same lab, the comparison below focuses on the tier-and-cost trade-offs that actually separate them.
Key differences
Price: GPT-5.4 Mini is about 10× cheaper on input ($0.25/$2 per 1M tokens vs $2.5/$15 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
Context window: GPT-5.4 holds 2.5× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 400K (~600 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Specifications
Spec
GPT-5.4
GPT-5.4 Mini
Provider
OpenAI (US)
OpenAI (US)
Released
March 5, 2026
March 18, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
400K (~600 pages)
Price (in/out)
$2.5/$15 per 1M tokens
$0.25/$2 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
No — API only
No — API only
Modalities
text, image, code
text, image, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Strong general-purpose default: GPT-5.4 — A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Coding and software engineering: GPT-5.4 — A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Document understanding and tool use: GPT-5.4 — A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Free for every ChatGPT user: GPT-5.4 Mini — A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Fast, low-cost general tasks: GPT-5.4 Mini — A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Subagent capabilities: GPT-5.4 Mini — A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Lowest cost at scale: GPT-5.4 Mini — At $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input: GPT-5.4 — Its 1M window is about 2.5× larger, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: GPT-5.4 Mini — At $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-5.4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: GPT-5.4 — Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is strong general-purpose default: GPT-5.4 — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is free for every chatgpt user: GPT-5.4 Mini — That is its strongest area.
GPT-5.4: where it fits
OpenAI's 2026 workhorse — unifies Codex and GPT into a strong default that costs half of GPT-5.5. Released March 5, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for strong general-purpose default, coding and software engineering, document understanding and tool use, and 1M context with good token efficiency.
Its trade-offs are real: topped by GPT-5.5 on the hardest tasks, and pricier than open-weight rivals. At $2.5 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
GPT-5.4 Mini: where it fits
OpenAI's free, fast workhorse — capable general AI with no subscription needed. Released March 18, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for free for every ChatGPT user, fast, low-cost general tasks, subagent capabilities, and native multimodal reasoning.
Its trade-offs: smaller context than flagship models, and not for the hardest reasoning. At $0.25 in / $2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Because GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 Mini come from the same lab (OpenAI), they share the same training philosophy and ecosystem — the decision is purely tier vs. cost. GPT-5.4 Mini is the more capable, more recent option; the other earns its place only when its price or latency profile fits a specific job better. Most teams should default to GPT-5.4 Mini and drop down only with a concrete reason.
Frequently asked questions
Is GPT-5.4 or GPT-5.4 Mini better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, GPT-5.4 leans toward strong general-purpose default while GPT-5.4 Mini leans toward free for every chatgpt user, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
GPT-5.4 Mini is cheaper — $2.5/$15 per 1M tokens vs $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens, roughly 10× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-5.4 — 1M vs 400K, about 2.5× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Should I upgrade from GPT-5.4 to GPT-5.4 Mini?
Since both are OpenAI models, the newer one (GPT-5.4 Mini) is usually the better default unless you need a specific cost or latency profile from the other.
Which is newer, GPT-5.4 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
GPT-5.4 Mini — released March 18, 2026, about 13 days after GPT-5.4.
GPT-5.4 vs GPT-5.4 Mini
OpenAI · US | OpenAI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Both are OpenAI models. GPT-5.4 Mini is the newer, generally stronger default; reach for GPT-5.4 when its lower price or specific profile matters more than the latest capabilities.
GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 Mini are both OpenAI models, so the real question is not which lab to trust but which tier fits your workload and budget. GPT-5.4 is openAI's 2026 workhorse — unifies Codex and GPT into a strong default that costs half of GPT-5.5. GPT-5.4 Mini is openAI's free, fast workhorse — capable general AI with no subscription needed. Since both come from the same lab, the comparison below focuses on the tier-and-cost trade-offs that actually separate them.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: GPT-5.4 Mini is about 10× cheaper on input ($0.25/$2 per 1M tokens vs $2.5/$15 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
▸Context window: GPT-5.4 holds 2.5× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 400K (~600 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
GPT-5.4
GPT-5.4 Mini
Provider
OpenAI (US)
OpenAI (US)
Released
March 5, 2026
March 18, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
400K (~600 pages)
Price (in/out)
$2.5/$15 per 1M tokens
$0.25/$2 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
No — API only
No — API only
Modalities
text, image, code
text, image, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Strong general-purpose default
GPT-5.4
A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Coding and software engineering
GPT-5.4
A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Document understanding and tool use
GPT-5.4
A core design strength of GPT-5.4.
Free for every ChatGPT user
GPT-5.4 Mini
A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Fast, low-cost general tasks
GPT-5.4 Mini
A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Subagent capabilities
GPT-5.4 Mini
A core design strength of GPT-5.4 Mini.
Lowest cost at scale
GPT-5.4 Mini
At $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input
GPT-5.4
Its 1M window is about 2.5× larger, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ GPT-5.4 Mini
At $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-5.4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ GPT-5.4
Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is strong general-purpose default
→ GPT-5.4
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is free for every chatgpt user
→ GPT-5.4 Mini
That is its strongest area.
GPT-5.4: where it fits
OpenAI's 2026 workhorse — unifies Codex and GPT into a strong default that costs half of GPT-5.5. Released March 5, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for strong general-purpose default, coding and software engineering, document understanding and tool use, and 1M context with good token efficiency.
Its trade-offs are real: topped by GPT-5.5 on the hardest tasks, and pricier than open-weight rivals. At $2.5 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
GPT-5.4 Mini: where it fits
OpenAI's free, fast workhorse — capable general AI with no subscription needed. Released March 18, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for free for every ChatGPT user, fast, low-cost general tasks, subagent capabilities, and native multimodal reasoning.
Its trade-offs: smaller context than flagship models, and not for the hardest reasoning. At $0.25 in / $2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Because GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 Mini come from the same lab (OpenAI), they share the same training philosophy and ecosystem — the decision is purely tier vs. cost. GPT-5.4 Mini is the more capable, more recent option; the other earns its place only when its price or latency profile fits a specific job better. Most teams should default to GPT-5.4 Mini and drop down only with a concrete reason.
Want both GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.4 Mini without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, GPT-5.4 leans toward strong general-purpose default while GPT-5.4 Mini leans toward free for every chatgpt user, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
GPT-5.4 Mini is cheaper — $2.5/$15 per 1M tokens vs $0.25/$2 per 1M tokens, roughly 10× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-5.4 — 1M vs 400K, about 2.5× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Should I upgrade from GPT-5.4 to GPT-5.4 Mini?
Since both are OpenAI models, the newer one (GPT-5.4 Mini) is usually the better default unless you need a specific cost or latency profile from the other.
Which is newer, GPT-5.4 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
GPT-5.4 Mini — released March 18, 2026, about 13 days after GPT-5.4.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.