OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1

Name: OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo
Brand: OpenAI
SKU: gpt-3-5-turbo

Looking for an honest OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1 comparison in 2026? We scored both ai language models on the same six-dimension framework — performance, battery, display, camera, design and value — using identical methodology, so the numbers below are directly comparable. In our overall scoring the OpenAI GPT-4.1 comes out ahead 41/100 to 81/100 — a 40-point gap. The widest gap is in battery life, where the OpenAI GPT-4.1 pulls noticeably ahead.

OpenAI

GPT-3.5 Turbo

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AI Matrix

OpenAI GPT-4.1 clearly outperforms the OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo in the ai language models category, especially in battery life, scoring 81 vs 41. If you want the better overall ai language models, OpenAI GPT-4.1 is the recommended choice.

Reviewed by VersusMatrix Editorial Team|Our methodology

5 Reasons Why OpenAI GPT-4.1 Is Better

1.Better performance score: 87 vs 29
2.Higher camera score: 86 vs 30
3.Better battery score: 100 vs 1
4.Higher design rating: 70 vs 0
5.Higher overall score: 81 vs 41

Desglose de Puntajes

OpenAI GPT-3.5 TurboOpenAI GPT-4.1

Benchmark (MMLU)30% weight

OpenAI GPT-4.1 Ganador

Cost Efficiency20% weight

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo Ganador

Arena ELO20% weight

OpenAI GPT-4.1 Ganador

Context Window10% weight

100

OpenAI GPT-4.1 Ganador

100

Speed (tok/s)10% weight

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo Ganador

Coding (HumanEval)10% weight

OpenAI GPT-4.1 Ganador

Scores are relative within the ai language modelscategory. Percentages show each dimension's weight in the overall score. A difference of less than 0.5 points is considered a tie.

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo

✓ Pros

●Better display score
●Better value for money

✗ Cons

●Weaker battery score
●Lower camera score
●Lower performance score

OpenAI GPT-4.1

Ganador

✓ Pros

●Overall score 81/100 — top-tier
●Higher performance score
●Better battery score
●Better camera score

✗ Cons

●Higher price relative to value
●Lower display score

💰 Token Pricing (per 1M tokens)

Lower cost = better value. Free = open-source self-hosted.

Metric	GPT-3.5 Turbo	OpenAI GPT-4.1
Input (Prompt)	✓$0.50/1M	$2.00/1M
Output (Completion)	✓$1.50/1M	$8.00/1M
Open Source	Proprietary	Proprietary

⚡ Context Window & Speed

Context Window (tokens)

GPT-3.5 Turbo16K

OpenAI GPT-4.11.024M

Metric	GPT-3.5 Turbo	OpenAI GPT-4.1
Max Output	4,096 tok	✓32,768 tok
Speed	✓400 tok/s	130 tok/s
Time to First Token	✓100ms	450ms
Languages	50+	50+

📊 Benchmark Scores

Higher is better. Industry-standard AI evaluation benchmarks.

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

MMLU (Knowledge)

70.0|90.5

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

HumanEval (Coding)

72.0|94.5

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

MATH (Mathematics)

57.1|79.6

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

GPQA (Expert Q&A)

30.0|62.3

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

Chatbot Arena ELO

1106.0|1340.0

GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

🔧 Capabilities

Feature	GPT-3.5 Turbo	OpenAI GPT-4.1
Reasoning / Chain-of-Thought	✕	✕
Vision (Image Input)	✕	✓
Audio Input	✕	✕
Video Input	✕	✕
Image/Audio Output	✕	✕
Function Calling / Tools	✓	✓
JSON Mode	✓	✓
Real-time Web Access	✕	✕
Fine-tuning Support	✓	✓
Batch API	✓	✓
Streaming	✓	✓
Open Source	✕	✕

ℹ️ Model Details

Field	GPT-3.5 Turbo	OpenAI GPT-4.1
Provider	OpenAI	OpenAI
Knowledge Cutoff	2021-09	2025-01
Best For	legacysimple taskshigh volumecost efficiency	codinglong contextinstruction followinggeneral

Quién Debería Comprar

Buy OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

Choose the OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo if budget is your top priority — it offers competitive specs at a lower price point.

Buy OpenAI GPT-4.1 if…

Buy the OpenAI GPT-4.1 if you want the best performance in this comparison. It scores higher overall and is the recommended choice for most buyers.

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1 — FAQ

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1: which is better?

Is OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo better than OpenAI GPT-4.1?

No, OpenAI GPT-4.1 scores higher (75 vs 75).

Which is cheaper, OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo or OpenAI GPT-4.1?

Check the latest prices using the buy links above.

Who should buy the OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Choose the OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo if budget is your top priority — it offers competitive specs at a lower price point.

Who should buy the OpenAI GPT-4.1?

Buy the OpenAI GPT-4.1 if you want the best performance in this comparison. It scores higher overall and is the recommended choice for most buyers.

Reviewed by VersusMatrix Editorial Team

Last updated: April 28, 2026

Editorial guidelines

Methodology: AI-powered analysis of technical specifications from manufacturer data. Scores are calculated by comparing products across multiple dimensions and normalized relative to the full category database. Our editorial process is independent and not influenced by affiliate partnerships.

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1

GPT-3.5 Turbo

AI Matrix

5 Reasons Why OpenAI GPT-4.1 Is Better

GPT-4.1

Comparación de Especificaciones

Desglose de Puntajes

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo

OpenAI GPT-4.1

💰 Token Pricing (per 1M tokens)

⚡ Context Window & Speed

📊 Benchmark Scores

🔧 Capabilities

ℹ️ Model Details

Quién Debería Comprar

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1 — FAQ

OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo vs OpenAI GPT-4.1: which is better?

Is OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo better than OpenAI GPT-4.1?

Which is cheaper, OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo or OpenAI GPT-4.1?

Who should buy the OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Who should buy the OpenAI GPT-4.1?

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