Model comparison
GPT-4.1 nano vs GPT-4o
Head-to-head evidence from 13 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 nano #161 (Estimated); GPT-4o #165 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 nano and GPT-4o share 13 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 8 results are unique to GPT-4.1 nano; 0 to GPT-4o.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 13
- GPT-4.1 nano only
- 8
- GPT-4o only
- 0
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Pick GPT-4.1 nano if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4o only becomes the better choice if its workflow or ecosystem matters more than the raw scoreboard.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 13 shared benchmark results across 7 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
GPT-4.1 nano has the cleaner BenchAlign overall profile here, landing at 42.06 versus 41.49. It is a real lead, but still close enough that category-level strengths matter more than the headline number.
GPT-4.1 nano's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 1 against 0.3. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 1.034% to 0.345%.
GPT-4o is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.50 input / $10.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.10 input / $0.40 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 nano. That is roughly 25.0x on output cost alone. GPT-4.1 nano gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for GPT-4o.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | GPT-4.1 nano | Δ | GPT-4o |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | GPT-4.1 nano1.0 | Margin← 0.7 | GPT-4o0.3 |
| Knowledge | GPT-4.1 nano50.3 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4oNot measured |
| Inst. Following | GPT-4.1 nano83.2 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4oNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 1.034%B 0.345%Winner: GPT-4.1 nanoΔ 0.7FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GPT-4.1 nano scored 1.034%; GPT-4o scored 0.345%. GPT-4.1 nano wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 nano | GPT-4o | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-4.1 nano$0.1 input / $0.4 output | GPT-4o$2.5 input / $10 output | GPT-4.1 nano has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-4.1 nano181 tok/s | GPT-4o131 tok/s | GPT-4.1 nano has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-4.1 nano0.63 s | GPT-4o0.81 s | GPT-4.1 nano reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-4.1 nano1M | GPT-4o128K | GPT-4.1 nano lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding2 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledge8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 nano | GPT-4o | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLUSource | 80.1% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQASource | 50.3% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 9.6% | 11.2% | GPT-4o leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 51.2% | 54.3% | GPT-4o leads |
| AA-HLESource | 3.9% | 3.3% | GPT-4.1 nano leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -56.4% | -10.7% | GPT-4o leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 13.3% | 19.7% | GPT-4o leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.4% | 37.9% | GPT-4o leads |
MathGPT-4.1 nano wins1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 nano | GPT-4o | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source | 1.034% | 0.345% | GPT-4.1 nano leads |
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, GPT-4.1 nano or GPT-4o?
GPT-4.1 nano is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 42.06 to 41.49. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 1.034% and 0.345%.
Which is better for math, GPT-4.1 nano or GPT-4o?
GPT-4.1 nano has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 1 versus 0.3. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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