Model Comparison
GPT-4o mini vs Claude Haiku 4.5:
The Cheapest Models Compared 2026
GPT-4o mini at $0.15/M input vs Claude Haiku 4.5 at $0.25/M — which cheap model delivers better quality, speed, and value for high-volume production use?
9 min read·Updated April 2026
Quick Comparison
$0.15
GPT-4o mini input/1M
$0.25
Claude Haiku 4.5 input/1M
128K
GPT-4o mini context
200K
Claude Haiku 4.5 context
Full Pricing Comparison
| Feature | GPT-4o mini | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Gemini Flash 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.15 | $0.25 | $0.075 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.60 | $1.25 | $0.30 |
| Context window | 128K | 200K | 1M |
| Prompt caching | $0.075/M | $0.025/M | Limited |
| Batch API discount | 50% off | 50% off | 50% off |
| Vision (image input) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Quality Benchmarks: Where Each Model Wins
| Task | GPT-4o mini | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification and labeling | Very good | Very good | Tie |
| Long document analysis | Good (128K) | Excellent (200K) | Haiku |
| Instruction following | Good | Excellent | Haiku |
| JSON output reliability | Good | Excellent | Haiku |
| Math reasoning | Very good | Good | GPT-4o mini |
| Multilingual | Excellent | Very good | GPT-4o mini |
Cost at Scale: 1M Requests/Month
Typical customer support bot (200 tokens input, 150 tokens output per message):
- GPT-4o mini: 200M × $0.15 + 150M × $0.60 = $30 + $90 = $120/month
- Claude Haiku 4.5: 200M × $0.25 + 150M × $1.25 = $50 + $187.50 = $237.50/month
- Gemini Flash 2.0: 200M × $0.075 + 150M × $0.30 = $15 + $45 = $60/month
When to Choose Each Model
Choose GPT-4o mini when: cost is primary, multilingual apps, math-heavy use cases, or you are already in the OpenAI ecosystem.
Choose Claude Haiku 4.5 when: long documents (100K+ tokens), strict JSON output format, lower refusal rate needed, or Anthropic's safety alignment preferred.
Choose Gemini Flash 2.0 instead when: maximum cost efficiency, 1M+ context, or Google Cloud preferred.
Calculate Cost for Your Volume
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