API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥GPT-5.4 vs GPT-5.4 Mini

Pick GPT-5.4 Mini for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T12:03:47Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T13:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-5.4 Mini for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $7 (70% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.4 Mini

Context-first pickGPT-5.4

Sample savings$770%

10x traffic gap$70

GPT-5.4 has more context, but GPT-5.4 Mini saves $7 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $70. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GPT-5.4 Mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	GPT-5.4	GPT-5.4 Mini
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GPT-5.4 Mini	$20	$6
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	GPT-5.4 Mini	$17.5	$5.25
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	GPT-5.4 Mini	$77.5	$23.25

Cheaper input GPT-5.4 Mini $2.5 vs $0.75 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Mini is $1.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-5.4 Mini $15 vs $4.5 / 1M

GPT-5.4 Mini is $10.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 1.05M vs 400K

GPT-5.4 has 650K more context (2.62x larger).

Sample workload GPT-5.4 Mini $10 vs $3

GPT-5.4 Mini is $7 cheaper on the standard workload (70% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

GPT-5.4 Calculating… Estimated API cost

GPT-5.4 Mini Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

GPT-5.4 Mini has the lower input price; GPT-5.4 Mini has the lower output price; GPT-5.4 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.4 Mini is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $10 for GPT-5.4 and $3 for GPT-5.4 Mini.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.4 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose GPT-5.4 Mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $7 (70% lower).
GPT-5.4 Mini is $7 cheaper on the standard workload (70% lower).
GPT-5.4 Mini is $1.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).
GPT-5.4 Mini is $10.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).
GPT-5.4 has 650K more context (2.62x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	🔥GPT-5.4 (OpenAI)	GPT-5.4 Mini (OpenAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$2.5	$0.75
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$15	$4.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$10	$3
Context Window	1.05M	400K
Release Date	2026-03-05	2026-03-17
Popularity	#19

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	GPT-5.4 Mini	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.4 Mini is estimated at $3 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $7 (70% lower).
High-volume input processing	GPT-5.4 Mini	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	GPT-5.4 Mini	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GPT-5.4	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.

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Provider catalogs

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OpenAI catalog

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Open OpenAI models

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GPT-5.4 is OpenAI’s latest frontier model, unifying the Codex and GPT lines into a single system. It features a 1M+ token context window (922K input, 128K output) with support for...

GPT-5.4 Mini

GPT-5.4 mini brings the core capabilities of GPT-5.4 to a faster, more efficient model optimized for high-throughput workloads. It supports text and image inputs with strong performance across reasoning, coding,...