Model comparison
GPT-4.1 vs o1
Head-to-head evidence from 15 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 #108 (Supported); o1 #129 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 and o1 share 15 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 5 results are unique to GPT-4.1; 1 to o1.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 15
- GPT-4.1 only
- 5
- o1 only
- 1
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Pick GPT-4.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. o1 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 15 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 3 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 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 51.11 to 48.1. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
o1 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $15.00 input / $60.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $2.00 input / $8.00 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1. That is roughly 7.5x on output cost alone. o1 is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. GPT-4.1 gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 200K for o1.
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 | Δ | o1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | GPT-4.166.3 | Margin→ 9.4 | o175.7 |
| Math | GPT-4.14.1 | Margin→ 5.2 | o19.3 |
| Inst. Following | GPT-4.187.4 | Margin→ 4.8 | o192.2 |
| Coding | GPT-4.154.6 | MarginNo overlap | o1Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 66.3%B 75.7%Winner: o1Δ 9.4GPQA: GPT-4.1 scored 66.3%; o1 scored 75.7%. o1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
IFEval
Inst. FollowingA 87.4%B 92.2%Winner: o1Δ 4.8IFEval: GPT-4.1 scored 87.4%; o1 scored 92.2%. o1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 5.517%B 9.310%Winner: o1Δ 3.8FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GPT-4.1 scored 5.517%; o1 scored 9.310%. o1 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | GPT-4.1 | o1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | GPT-4.1$2 input / $8 output | o1$15 input / $60 output | GPT-4.1 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | GPT-4.1108 tok/s | o198 tok/s | GPT-4.1 has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | GPT-4.11.02 s | o132.29 s | GPT-4.1 reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | GPT-4.11M | o1200K | GPT-4.1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledgeo1 wins8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4.1 | o1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLUSource | 90.2% | 91.8% | o1 leads |
| GPQASource | 66.3% | 75.7% | o1 leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 19.4% | 23.4% | o1 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 66.6% | 74.7% | o1 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 4.6% | 7.7% | o1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -36.2% | -10.5% | o1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 24.2% | 34.7% | o1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 79.6% | 69.3% | o1 leads |
Matho1 wins2 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, GPT-4.1 or o1?
GPT-4.1 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 51.11 to 48.1. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 66.3% and 75.7%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-4.1 or o1?
o1 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 75.7 versus 66.3. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, GPT-4.1 or o1?
o1 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 9.3 versus 4.1. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for instruction following, GPT-4.1 or o1?
o1 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 92.2 versus 87.4. Inside this category, AA-IFBench is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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