The go-to model when you need the right answer, not the fast answer.
92
Coding
55
Writing
90
Research
0
Images
45
Value
82
Long Context
Use this when
Tackling hard technical problems — from competition-level math to multi-step code debugging — where accuracy matters more than speed.
Skip this if
You need fast responses for conversational use, creative writing, or image-related tasks — or if your budget is tight and tasks don't require deep reasoning.
Pricing
$2.00/1M in
$8.00/1M out
→0%since May 2026
Context
200k tokens
Speed
Deliberate
o3specs & pricing
Verified Sep 4, 2026 against the AI Gateway catalog
Pricing at $2/$8 per 1M input/output tokens is moderate for a reasoning model, but long internal reasoning traces can significantly inflate output token counts. Not available via all API tiers — check OpenAI access levels.
Top-tier performance on complex mathematical and logical reasoning tasks
Strong multi-step code generation and debugging with self-verification
200K context window allows analysis of large codebases or research documents
Significantly outperforms o1 on ARC-AGI and AIME benchmarks
Weaknesses
Deliberate reasoning means latency is high — unsuitable for real-time or chat applications
At $8/1M output tokens, costs can escalate quickly on long reasoning chains
Not designed for creative writing, image tasks, or casual conversation
Real-world use cases
What people actually use o3 for.
Solving multi-step competition math problems (AMC/AIME level) with full working
Auditing a large codebase for security vulnerabilities with reasoned explanations
Synthesizing conflicting findings across a 150-page scientific literature review
How o3 compares
The nearest models people weigh against it, and what actually separates them.
vs GPT-4 Turbo — Against GPT-4 Turbo (OpenAI), o3 runs about 75% cheaper per token, takes 1.6x the context and answers slower. Which one wins depends on whether context depth or latency is your constraint.
vs GPT-4 Turbo (older v1106) — Against GPT-4 Turbo (older v1106) (OpenAI), o3 runs about 75% cheaper per token, takes 1.6x the context and answers slower. Which one wins depends on whether context depth or latency is your constraint.
vs GPT-4 Turbo Preview — Against GPT-4 Turbo Preview (OpenAI), o3 runs about 75% cheaper per token, takes 1.6x the context and answers slower. Which one wins depends on whether context depth or latency is your constraint.
Price History
o3 pricing over time
→0% since May 30
90 data points · tracked daily since May 30, 2026
Ready to try it?
Start using o3
Tackling hard technical problems — from competition-level math to multi-step code debugging — where accuracy matters more than speed.. Start free — no card required.
GPT-4 Turbo is OpenAI's high-capability flagship model featuring a 128K context window, trained on data up to April 2024. It delivers strong reasoning, coding, and instruction-following across complex tasks.
Verdict
A capable but aging flagship that has been outpaced by cheaper, faster successors in OpenAI's own lineup.
Quality score
75%
Pricing
$10.00/1M in
$30.00/1M out
Speed
Balanced
3/5 speed
Context
128k tokens
GPT-4 Turbo is available via the OpenAI API. It has largely been succeeded by GPT-4o, which is faster, supports vision natively, and is cheaper. Organizations should evaluate whether migrating to GPT-4o or o3 makes more sense before building new workflows on this model.
GPT-4 Turbo (v1106) is an older snapshot of OpenAI's flagship GPT-4 Turbo model released in November 2023, offering a 128K context window with strong general-purpose reasoning and instruction-following capabilities. It predates later GPT-4 Turbo updates and GPT-4o, making it a legacy choice for workflows locked to this specific version.
Verdict
A reliable but outdated GPT-4 snapshot that only makes sense when version pinning is a hard requirement.
Quality score
66%
Pricing
$10.00/1M in
$30.00/1M out
Speed
Balanced
3/5 speed
Context
128k tokens
This is a pinned model snapshot (v1106) and will not receive capability updates. OpenAI may deprecate older snapshots over time. Knowledge cutoff is April 2023. Not recommended for new deployments given the superior cost-performance of GPT-4o and GPT-4.1.
Legacy128K ContextPinned SnapshotGPT-4Premium
Best for
Teams requiring a pinned, stable version of GPT-4 Turbo for reproducible outputs in long-document analysis or complex instruction pipelines.
GPT-4 Turbo Preview is an early access version of GPT-4 Turbo, OpenAI's then-flagship model featuring a 128K context window and knowledge improvements over the original GPT-4. It was designed to deliver GPT-4-class reasoning at reduced cost compared to the original GPT-4.
Verdict
A once-capable flagship now overshadowed by faster, cheaper, and smarter successors.
Quality score
67%
Pricing
$10.00/1M in
$30.00/1M out
Speed
Balanced
3/5 speed
Context
128k tokens
This is a 'preview' variant that OpenAI has largely deprecated in favor of gpt-4-turbo and gpt-4o. The endpoint may be retired or redirected by OpenAI without notice. Check the OpenAI model deprecation schedule before building production applications on this model.
GPT-4Long ContextLegacyPremiumOpenAI
Best for
Complex multi-step reasoning, long-document analysis, and professional writing tasks requiring strong instruction-following.
o3 costs $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output tokens on the API, with cached input at $0.5 per million. A month of 10M input and 2M output tokens runs about $36.00 at list price, before any batch or caching discounts.
What is the context window of o3?
o3 has a 200k tokens context window, with up to 100k tokens of output per response. That is the total of prompt plus response the model can hold in one request.
What is the knowledge cutoff of o3?
o3's training data runs through May 2024, and the model was released on April 16, 2025. For anything after that date it needs web search or documents in the prompt.
What is o3 best for?
o3 is best for tackling hard technical problems — from competition-level math to multi-step code debugging — where accuracy matters more than speed.. It is a strong fit when that workflow matters more than the tradeoffs around balanced pricing and deliberate speed.
When should I avoid o3?
You need fast responses for conversational use, creative writing, or image-related tasks — or if your budget is tight and tasks don't require deep reasoning.
What is a cheaper alternative to o3?
GPT-5.1-Codex-Max (OpenAI) at $1.25/1M/1M input against o3's $2.00/1M/1M. The strongest choice for serious software engineering work, provided you can absorb the output-side pricing. Compare it first if o3's pricing is the thing stopping you.
What is a faster alternative to o3?
GPT-4 Turbo — balanced against o3's deliberate, with 128k tokens of context. Worth the swap when response time is what your users notice rather than the last few points of reasoning depth.
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