AI model comparison

MiniMax M1 vs GPT-4.1 Mini

Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.

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MiniMax

MiniMax M1

MiniMax-M1 is a large-scale, open-weight reasoning model designed for extended context and high-efficiency inference.

Input / 1M
$0.55
Output / 1M
$2.20
Context
1M

GPT-4.1 Mini is a mid-sized model delivering performance competitive with GPT-4o at substantially lower latency and cost.

Input / 1M
$0.40
Output / 1M
$1.60
Context
1.05M

At a glance

Quick verdict

How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.

Lower price

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GPT-4.1 Mini

1.4x cheaper for a typical chat

Higher intelligence score

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MiniMax M1

11.7 vs 10.2 on Artificial Analysis

Larger context window

openai logo

GPT-4.1 Mini

1.05M vs 1M tokens

Newer release

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MiniMax M1

Released June 17, 2025

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores

Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.

Intelligence index

minimax logoMiniMax M111.7
openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini10.2

Coding index

minimax logoMiniMax M1Not available
openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini20.2

Agentic index

minimax logoMiniMax M1Not available
openai logoGPT-4.1 MiniNot available

Pricing

MiniMax M1 vs GPT-4.1 Mini API pricing

Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.

Metricminimax logoMiniMax M1openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini
Input tokensPer 1M tokens$0.55$0.40
Output tokensPer 1M tokens$2.20$1.60
Cached input (read)Per 1M tokensNot available$0.10
Cache writePer 1M tokensNot availableNot available
Web searchPer requestNot available$0.01

What it costs in practice

Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.

Chat message

2K in, 500 out

minimax logoMiniMax M1$2.20
openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini$1.60

Coding task

30K in, 4K out

minimax logoMiniMax M1$25.30
openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini$18.40$9.40 cached

Long document summary

150K in, 2K out

minimax logoMiniMax M1$86.90
openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini$63.20$18.20 cached

Specs

Context window and capabilities

How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.

Metricminimax logoMiniMax M1openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini
Context window1M tokens1.05M tokens
Max output40K tokens33K tokens
Input typesTextFile, Image, Text
Output typesTextText
Reasoning effort levelsNot availableNot available
Default reasoning effortNot availableNot available
Release dateJune 17, 2025April 14, 2025

Features

Supported features

API features available for each model.

Metricminimax logoMiniMax M1openai logoGPT-4.1 Mini
Tool callingSupportedSupported
Structured outputsNot supportedSupported
JSON modeNot supportedSupported
ReasoningSupportedNot supported
TemperatureSupportedSupported
Stop sequencesSupportedNot supported
Deterministic seedSupportedSupported
Verbosity controlNot supportedNot supported

Our take

GPT-4.1 Mini is 1.4x cheaper for a typical chat. MiniMax M1 scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (11.7 vs 10.2). GPT-4.1 Mini has the larger context window (1.05M vs 1M tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is MiniMax M1 or GPT-4.1 Mini cheaper?

GPT-4.1 Mini is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). GPT-4.1 Mini costs $0.40 per 1M input tokens and $1.60 per 1M output tokens, while MiniMax M1 costs $0.55 per 1M input tokens and $2.20 per 1M output tokens.

Which has a bigger context window, MiniMax M1 or GPT-4.1 Mini?

GPT-4.1 Mini supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 1M for MiniMax M1.

Is MiniMax M1 smarter than GPT-4.1 Mini?

On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, MiniMax M1 scores 11.7 and GPT-4.1 Mini scores 10.2, putting MiniMax M1 ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.

Can I use MiniMax M1 and GPT-4.1 Mini at the same time?

Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see MiniMax M1 and GPT-4.1 Mini answer side by side and keep the better response.

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Why choose? Ask both.

Send one prompt to MiniMax M1 and GPT-4.1 Mini at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.