Alternatives · 15 models compared · checked 17 Aug 2026
o4 Mini alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E3
The closest model to o4 Mini on the atlas is Claude Haiku 4.5, in the same square, at $1.00 per 1M input tokens against o4 Mini’s . 10 of the 15 nearest models are cheaper on input; the cheapest is Codestral 2508 at $0.30. We rank by position on the atlas, not by capability, because we hold no capability data.
$1.10
observed We measured
- Source
- Our catalogue
- Retrieved
- 17 Aug 2026
Ask an AI about this pageGChatGPTCClaudePPerplexityGeGeminiXGrok
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Cite this page
ModelsAtlas. “o4 Mini alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E3”. Retrieved 17 Aug 2026. https://modelsatlas.com/models/openai/o4/alternatives
Where the alternatives sit
Each square is a price band (A–H) × a context band (1–6). How the grid works
Same squareGRIDE37 modelsClaude Haiku 4.5, Command A, Grok Build 0.1 and 4 more
o4 MiniIts 15 nearest modelsOther modelsOpen weights
View the map as a table (2 squares)
| Square | Price band | Context band | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRIDD3 | $0.30–1 | 128–256K | Codestral 2508, Command A+, MiniMax M2, MiniMax M2.1, Muse Glimmer 30B, DeepSeek V3, Llama 3.1 70B Instruct, Mistral Medium 3 |
| GRIDE3 | $1–3 | 128–256K | o4 Mini, Claude Haiku 4.5, Grok Build 0.1, o3 Mini High, o4 Mini High, Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), o3, Command A |
Top 15 alternatives
Ranked by steps away on the atlas, then cheaper before pricier, then input price
| # | Model | Grid | Why it fits | Input / 1M | vs o4 Mini | Output / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | o4 MiniOpenAI · the model you’re replacing | GRIDE3 | Baseline | $1.10 | — | $4.40 | 200K | |
| 1 | Claude Haiku 4.5Anthropic | GRIDE3 | Same square, 9% cheaper input | $1.00 | −9% | $5.00 | 200K | Compare → |
| 2 | Grok Build 0.1xAI | GRIDE3 | Same square, 9% cheaper input, 1.3× the context | $1.00 | −9% | $2.00 | 256K | Compare → |
| 3 | o3 Mini HighOpenAI | GRIDE3 | Same maker, same square, same input price | $1.10 | same | $4.40 | 200K | Compare → |
| 4 | o4 Mini HighOpenAI | GRIDE3 | Same maker, same square, same input price | $1.10 | same | $4.40 | 200K | Compare → |
| 5 | Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)Google | GRIDE3 | Same square, 82% pricier input | $2.00 | +82% | $12.00 | 131K | Compare → |
| 6 | o3OpenAI | GRIDE3 | Same maker, same square, 82% pricier input | $2.00 | +82% | $8.00 | 200K | Compare → |
| 7 | Command ACohere | GRIDE3 | Same square, 127% pricier input, 1.3× the context | $2.50 | +127% | $10.00 | 256K | Compare → |
| 8 | Codestral 2508Mistral AI | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 73% cheaper input, 1.3× the context | $0.30 | −73% | $0.90 | 256K | |
| 9 | Command A+Cohere | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 73% cheaper input | $0.30 | −73% | $1.50 | 192K | |
| 10 | MiniMax M2MiniMax | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 73% cheaper input | $0.30 | −73% | $1.20 | 205K | |
| 11 | MiniMax M2.1MiniMax | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 73% cheaper input | $0.30 | −73% | $1.20 | 205K | |
| 12 | Muse Glimmer 30BMeta | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 73% cheaper input | $0.30 | −73% | $1.20 | 131K | |
| 13 | DeepSeek V3DeepSeek | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 71% cheaper input | $0.32 | −71% | $0.89 | 164K | |
| 14 | Llama 3.1 70B InstructMeta | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 64% cheaper input | $0.40 | −64% | $0.40 | 131K | |
| 15 | Mistral Medium 3Mistral AI | GRIDD3 | Neighbouring square D3, 64% cheaper input | $0.40 | −64% | $2.00 | 131K |
What switching saves
3,000 input + 800 output tokens × 1,000 requests a day
Σ Derived from standard-tier prices; excludes caching and batch discounts. Use your own numbers →
Larger-context alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Build 0.1xAI | $1.00 | 256K | Compare |
| Command ACohere | $2.50 | 256K | Compare |
| Codestral 2508Mistral AI | $0.30 | 256K | |
| MiniMax M2MiniMax | $0.30 | 205K | |
| MiniMax M2.1MiniMax | $0.30 | 205K |
Free alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyria 3 Clip PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M | |
| Lyria 3 Pro PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M |
Compare o4 Mini head to head
Questions
What is the best alternative to o4 Mini?
Claude Haiku 4.5 ranks first: same square, 9% cheaper input. Input is $1.00 per 1M tokens against $1.10 for o4 Mini. Ranking is by position on the atlas, not by quality.
What is the cheapest alternative to o4 Mini?
Codestral 2508 at $0.30 per 1M input tokens, 73% less than o4 Mini, among the 15 closest.
Is there an open-weight alternative to o4 Mini?
None of the 15 closest is marked open-weight in our records.
Which alternative has a larger context window?
Grok Build 0.1, Command A, Codestral 2508, MiniMax M2 and 1 more hold more than o4 Mini's 200K; the largest is Grok Build 0.1 at 256K.
How are alternatives ranked?
By distance on the atlas grid from o4 Mini's square E3: the same square first, then neighbouring squares. Within the same distance, cheaper models come before pricier ones, then the lowest input price wins. We hold no capability data, so we do not claim a model can do what o4 Mini does, only that it costs and holds about the same. No vendor pays for position.
More alternatives
Keep going in your AI
Opens with this page as the source. We add nothing else to the prompt.
- What is the best alternative to o4 Mini?
- What is the cheapest alternative to o4 Mini?
- Is there an open-weight alternative to o4 Mini?