GPT-5 Image Mini vs Solar Mini 4
Solar Mini 4 costs 10.0x less per output token than GPT-5 Image Mini ($0.20 vs $2.00 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; no benchmark has tested both models yet.
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $2.00
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $0.20
GPT-5 Image Mini or Solar Mini 4: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Compare them on price, context and the boards below.
No benchmark has tested both yet. GPT-5 Image Mini has results on Design Arena: images, Design Arena: graphic design and Design Arena: logos; Solar Mini 4 on SciCode, AA Intelligence Index and Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run). Compare them on price and context instead.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only Solar Mini 4 has a AA Intelligence Index result, 24.1.
Directional only
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Solar Mini 4 has a Design Arena: websites result, 1159.
Directional only
Image generation
Design Arena: images
No call
Only GPT-5 Image Mini has a Design Arena: images result, 1184.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Solar Mini 4
Solar Mini 4 takes 524K tokens against 400K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
GPT-5 Image Mini $0.0035, Solar Mini 4 $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- GPT-5 Image Mini not benchmarked, Solar Mini 4 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- None yet: no category has been tested on both models.
- Widest single gap
- None yet: no benchmark has tested both models.
- Output price
- GPT-5 Image Mini $2.00 against Solar Mini 4 $0.20 per million output tokens, 10.0x apart.
- Context window
- GPT-5 Image Mini takes 400K tokens, Solar Mini 4 524K.
Benchmark by benchmark
Every board either model has a result on, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale. Only one model is measured on each, so no row names a leader.
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index1 board measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| SciCode | Not measured | 47.6% | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here | |||
IntelligenceDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | Not measured | 24.1 | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 25.8% | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 21 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | Not measured | 1159 | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | Not measured | 1109 | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | Not measured | 1150 | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 6 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 83.3% | Only Solar Mini 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 45 boards here | |||
Image generationDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards measured
| Benchmark | GPT-5 Image Mini | Solar Mini 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: images | 1184 | Not measured | Only GPT-5 Image Mini measured |
| Design Arena: graphic design | 1165 | Not measured | Only GPT-5 Image Mini measured |
| Design Arena: logos | 1209 | Not measured | Only GPT-5 Image Mini measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 2 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Solar Mini 4 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Solar Mini 4 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Solar Mini 4 costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | OpenAI GPT-5 Image Mini | Upstage Solar Mini 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenAI | Upstage |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | October 16, 2025 | September 23, 2026 |
| Context window | 400K | 524K |
| Input $/Mtok | $2.50 | $0.05 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.00 | $0.20 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is GPT-5 Image Mini better than Solar Mini 4 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Compare them on price, context and the boards below.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5 Image Mini or Solar Mini 4?
GPT-5 Image Mini costs $2.50 per million input tokens and $2.00 per million output tokens; Solar Mini 4 costs $0.05 and $0.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5 Image Mini or Solar Mini 4?
Solar Mini 4, with 524K tokens against 400K.
Has any benchmark tested both GPT-5 Image Mini and Solar Mini 4?
No benchmark has tested both yet. GPT-5 Image Mini has results on Design Arena: images, Design Arena: graphic design and Design Arena: logos; Solar Mini 4 on SciCode, AA Intelligence Index and Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run). Compare them on price and context instead. Data as of October 21, 2026.