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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →OpenAI launched o3-mini on January 31, 2025, describing it as a cost-efficient reasoning model for coding, math, and science. It was called the company’s newest cost-efficient reasoning model at launch; it is not OpenAI’s latest model today. OpenAI’s API documentation now labels o3-mini deprecated, and the available sources do not establish whether it remains selectable in ChatGPT or callable by every API account.
What is o3-mini?
o3-mini is a reasoning model OpenAI introduced for tasks that benefit from working through problems, particularly coding, mathematics, and science. At launch, OpenAI said it delivered results on par with o1 at lower latency in side-by-side testing and outperformed o1-mini on advanced STEM tasks. Those are OpenAI’s comparisons; the launch notes do not provide a full evaluation protocol in the cited passage. (OpenAI model release notes)
OpenAI also reported that expert evaluators preferred o3-mini’s answers over o1-mini’s 56% of the time, citing improved clarity and fewer critical errors on difficult questions. This is a reported preference result in that comparison—not a general accuracy rate, a guarantee of better answers for every task, or an independently verified benchmark. (OpenAI model release notes)
When did o3-mini launch, and who could use it?
OpenAI announced o3-mini on January 31, 2025. The launch notes said it was available in ChatGPT to Team, Pro, Plus, and Free users, as well as through the API. They also described search integration as an early prototype. These are launch-era statements, not confirmation of current access. (OpenAI model release notes)
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Is o3-mini still available?
OpenAI’s currently accessible API model page marks o3-mini as deprecated. That label is the clearest current status documented in the sources here. It does not, by itself, establish whether every API account can still call the model, nor whether ChatGPT users can select it. Current ChatGPT access by plan and region is not confirmed. (OpenAI o3-mini API model page)
OpenAI’s API changelog records later additions, including o3 and o4-mini in April 2025, so o3-mini should not be described as the latest OpenAI reasoning model today. (OpenAI API changelog)
How did its reasoning controls and API features work?
At launch, developers could set reasoning effort to low, medium, or high. OpenAI presented these settings as a way to trade response speed against depth. The launch notes also listed Structured Outputs, function calling, developer messages, and streaming as supported API capabilities. (OpenAI model release notes)
The current API page lists the following model details. These are the values and feature labels shown on that page now, not necessarily the specifications or prices at launch. (OpenAI o3-mini API model page)
| API detail | What the current page lists |
|---|---|
| Status | Deprecated |
| Input and output | Text input and output; image, audio, and video are not supported |
| Context window | 200,000 tokens |
| Maximum output | 100,000 tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | October 1, 2023 |
| Listed token rates | $1.10 per million input tokens; $0.55 per million cached input tokens; $4.40 per million output tokens |
| Listed API features | Streaming, function calling, and structured outputs supported; fine-tuning and predicted outputs not supported |
| Names listed | Alias o3-mini and snapshot o3-mini-2025-01-31; both marked deprecated |
The listed token rates are the rates displayed on the current documentation page, not evidence of launch pricing or a guarantee that the model will remain accessible at those rates. The page says rate limits depend on usage tier and may increase based on usage and spend. (OpenAI o3-mini API model page)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you compare o3-mini with o1-mini?
For the launch-era comparison, the supported points of comparison are OpenAI’s reported evaluator preference, its description of advanced STEM performance, latency, and cost-efficiency. The 56% figure refers specifically to evaluator preference over o1-mini in OpenAI’s reported comparison; it does not establish that o3-mini was more accurate on every workload. The launch notes do not supply enough detail in the cited passage to treat the claims as an independent, reproducible head-to-head review. (OpenAI model release notes)
For a current model choice, check whether a candidate is supported and available to your account, then compare the workload, required modalities, API features, context and output limits, latency, and current pricing. The sources cited here establish o3-mini’s deprecation label and listed API details, but do not provide a like-for-like current benchmark against newer models. OpenAI’s reasoning guidance discusses how to select and use reasoning models. (OpenAI reasoning best practices)
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