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o3-pro vs o3-mini

Detailed pricing comparison and cost analysis.

Updated September 2026

Cost Simulator

o3-pro Cost
$36.00
o3-mini Cost
$1.98
o3-mini is 95% cheaper
Featureo3-proo3-mini
ProviderOpenAIOpenAI
Input Price (1M)$20.00$1.10
Output Price (1M)$80.00$4.40
Context Window200,000200,000

Verdict

o3-pro costs $20.00 per 1M input tokens and $80.00 per 1M output tokens. o3-mini costs $1.10 per 1M input tokens and $4.40 per 1M output tokens. o3-mini is 95% cheaper on input tokens than o3-pro. For output tokens, o3-mini is the more affordable option at $4.40/1M vs $80.00.

On context window, o3-pro supports 200,000 tokens — meaning it can fit more conversation history, documents, or code in a single request. This matters for RAG pipelines, long document analysis, and agentic workflows where context builds up over many turns.

When to choose o3-pro

  • ✓ You are already integrated with OpenAI

When to choose o3-mini

  • ✓ You need the lowest input token cost ($ 1.10/1M)
  • ✓ Your workload is output-heavy — o3-mini generates text cheaper
  • ✓ You are already integrated with OpenAI

Use the calculator above to simulate your specific workload and find the exact break-even point. For most applications, the cheapest model is the one that minimises your total monthly bill given your input-to-output token ratio.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is o3-pro cheaper than o3-mini?

o3-mini is cheaper on input tokens at $1.10/1M vs $20.00/1M for o3-pro — a 95% saving.

What is the context window of o3-pro vs o3-mini?

o3-pro has a 200,000-token context window. o3-mini has a 200,000-token context window. o3-pro supports the larger context, suitable for longer documents and agentic workflows.

Which model is better: o3-pro or o3-mini?

The best choice depends on your use case. For cost efficiency on input tokens, o3-mini is the cheaper option. For maximum context length, o3-pro supports 200,000 tokens. Use the comparison table above to find the right fit for your workload.