OpenAI officially released GPT-5.4 mini and GPT-5.4 nano on March 17, 2026, calling them its “most capable small models yet.” Both are designed for high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads where the flagship GPT-5.4 is simply overkill — and priced accordingly.
GPT-5.4 Mini vs Nano: Key Specs at a Glance
| Feature | GPT-5.4 Mini | GPT-5.4 Nano |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 2x faster than GPT-5 mini | Fastest in the GPT-5.4 family |
| Input Pricing | $0.75 / 1M tokens | $0.20 / 1M tokens |
| Output Pricing | $4.50 / 1M tokens | $1.25 / 1M tokens |
| Context Window | 400K tokens | 400K tokens |
| SWE-Bench Pro | 54.4% | Nano-tier (below mini) |
| OSWorld-Verified | 72.1% | 39% |
| Availability | API, Codex, ChatGPT | API only |
| Best For | Coding, agents, computer use | Classification, extraction, ranking |
What Makes These Models Worth Paying Attention To
The benchmark gap between mini and the full GPT-5.4 is smaller than you’d expect. On SWE-Bench Pro — a rigorous coding benchmark — mini scores 54.4% against the flagship’s 57.7%. On OSWorld-Verified, which tests computer use via screenshot interpretation, mini reaches 72.1% versus the full model’s 75%. Those are narrow margins at a fraction of the cost, and for most real-world coding tasks the difference won’t be perceptible in the output.
The nano model tells a different story — it’s not trying to compete on reasoning depth. Nano is the smallest, cheapest option in the GPT-5.4 family, and OpenAI recommends it for classification, data extraction, ranking, and coding subagents that handle simpler supporting tasks. At $0.20 per million input tokens, it’s cheaper than Google’s Gemini Flash-Lite — a meaningful competitive edge for developers processing enormous volumes of data.
The Bigger Picture: A New Way to Build AI Systems
What OpenAI is really selling here is an architecture pattern. Rather than running one large model for everything, developers can now have GPT-5.4 handle planning and complex reasoning while mini or nano subagents execute narrow tasks in parallel — codebase search, file review, document processing. In Codex, mini consumes only 30% of the GPT-5.4 quota, making this kind of delegation financially sensible at scale.
GPT-5.4 mini is live today in the API, Codex, and ChatGPT. Free and Go users on ChatGPT can access it through the Thinking feature. GPT-5.4 nano is API-only for now, clearly positioned as developer infrastructure rather than a consumer product.
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