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OpenAI o4-mini: Fast, Cost-Efficient Reasoning
Released on April 16, 2025 as part of the OpenAI o-series, OpenAI o4-mini sits alongside OpenAI o3 as an efficient reasoning-focused model.
Designed for STEM tasks, visual problem solving, and code editing, it delivers fast and effective reasoning while maintaining strong cost efficiency. These strengths make it a practical choice for technical workflows that require reliable analytical performance, lightweight computation, and responsive multimodal understanding.
OpenAI o4-mini: Key Specs
Below are OpenAI o4-mini's main specs and how they translate into real-world behavior.
- Context Window - Up to 200,000 tokens: This expanded context capacity helps OpenAI o4-mini maintain continuity across long conversations or large documents, making it suitable for extended, multi-step work.
- Maximum Output Length - Up to 100,000 tokens: The model can produce long, uninterrupted responses, supporting detailed explanations, comprehensive write-ups, and multi-section content.
- Speed and Efficiency - Medium-level responsiveness: It delivers steady, smooth performance that keeps interactions natural, offering a balanced pace for both chat and workflow use cases.
- Cost Efficiency - Moderately priced for regular use: Its cost structure makes it practical for teams that need reliable output quality without moving into expensive premium tiers.
- Reasoning and Accuracy - Higher-level reasoning ability: OpenAI o4-mini handles complex instructions and structured analysis with solid clarity, offering more depth than baseline options.
- Multimodal Capabilities - Supports text and image input, outputs text: It can work with screenshots, diagrams, and written prompts together, producing clear text responses from mixed content.
Compare OpenAI o4-mini, OpenAI o3-mini, and OpenAI o3
A brief overview of how each model differs in power, speed, and use cases.
| Feature | OpenAI o4-mini | OpenAI o3 | OpenAI o3-mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Cutoff | Jun 01, 2024 | Jun 01, 2024 | Oct 01, 2023 |
| Context Window (Tokens) | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Max Output Tokens | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Input Modalities | Text, image | Text, image | Text |
| Output Modalities | Text | Text | Text |
| Latency (OpenRouter Data) | 4.28s | 5.51s | 6.74s |
| Speed | Medium (still faster than OpenAI o3) | Slowest in OpenAI o3 series | Medium (about 1/3 faster than OpenAI o1-mini) |
| Input / Output Cost per 1M Tokens | $1.1 / $4.4 | $2 / $8 | $1.1 / $4.4 |
| Reasoning Performance | Very High | Highest | Very High |
| Coding Performance (on SWE-bench Verified) | 68.10% | 69.10% | 49.30% |
| Best For | STEM tasks, visual problem solving and code editing | technical writing and instruction-following | STEM reasoning tasks, particularly excelling in science, mathematics, and coding |
Source: OpenAI o4-mini Documentation
Best Cases to Use OpenAI o4-mini
OpenAI o4-mini is best for technical and visually grounded work.
- For students and learners: Use OpenAI o4-mini to interpret diagrams, walk through science and math problems, and gain clearer understanding of visual or quantitative concepts through structured explanations.
- For developers: Edit code, analyze logic, and resolve bugs with quick, reliable reasoning that supports lightweight engineering tasks and visual debugging scenarios.
- For businesses and teams: Review technical materials, interpret charts or visual data, and produce clear explanations that help streamline analytical or engineering-focused workflows.
- For product teams and app builders: Build features that rely on visual understanding and structured reasoning, enabling smarter tools that interpret diagrams, UI screenshots, or structured inputs accurately.
- For operations and support workflows: Troubleshoot issues using screenshots or visual references, generating detailed, practical guidance that improves the speed and reliability of technical support.
- For content and marketing helpers: Turn complex STEM ideas into accessible explanations and create visuals-informed content that supports educational, technical, or product-focused communication.
How to Access OpenAI o4-mini
Accessing OpenAI o4-mini is simple, and you can choose the option that fits your workflow best.
1. OpenAI API
You can use OpenAI o4-mini directly through the OpenAI API. This requires an API key and an active billing plan, making it ideal for developers who want precise control or need to integrate the model into apps, tools, or automated systems.
2. EssayDone AI Chat
For instant access without setup, region restrictions, or API configuration, you can use OpenAI o4-mini through EssayDone AI Chat.
It offers the same underlying model output as the official API in a fast, user-friendly interface-perfect for students, creators, and professionals who want to start immediately.
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FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about OpenAI o4-mini.
Yes. OpenAI o4-mini provides higher-than-average reasoning ability, with performance roughly aligned to a rating of 4. It is particularly effective for structured logic, STEM-related reasoning, and technical workflows.
OpenAI o4-mini costs $1.1 per 1M input tokens and $4.4 per 1M output tokens. It is priced as a mid-range option within the OpenAI o-series.
OpenAI o4-mini is optimized for STEM tasks, visual problem solving, and code editing. It works well for math, diagrams, logic-heavy analysis, and refining or troubleshooting code.
OpenAI o4-mini accepts text and image inputs and produces text outputs. It handles visual reasoning and problem solving effectively, though its multimodal output is limited to text.
OpenAI o4-mini is more affordable and faster than OpenAI o3, while still offering stronger reasoning and better STEM performance. It delivers deeper problem-solving ability with improved technical accuracy.
Using OpenAI o4-mini in EssayDone AI Chat requires no API key, has no daily message limits, and includes no geographical restrictions. You can access ChatGPT and many other AI models on one platform with a single payment, at a more affordable price.