Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Seed 2.1 Turbo delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,472 vs 1,272), while Seed 2.1 Turbo leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (63.2%), while GPT-4o mini is more budget-friendly at $0.6/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
8 benchmarks evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Legacy small OpenAI model. Useful as a cheap baseline.
ByteDance Seed 2.1 Turbo, listed on public model timelines as an Aug 10 2026 API drop.
Currently comparing GPT-4o mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 200 Arena Elo pts
160 tok/s
$0.6 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top standard models across 6 key capability dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | GPT-4o mini | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +200 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +16.7% | ||
| SWE-bench | +22% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +16.7% | ||
| Time to first token | +10 ms | ||
| Output speed | 160 tok/s | 160 tok/s | — |
| Input price | $0.15/1M | $0.5/1M | +$0.35/1M |
| Output price | $0.6/1M | $2.5/1M | +$1.9/1M |
| Context window | +134k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
GPT-4o mini is estimated to save $40.75/month ($489/year).
Higher SWE-bench (63.2%).
Lower output list price ($0.6/1M).
Lower TTFT (120 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Seed 2.1 Turbo).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Higher SWE-bench (63.2%). |
| High-volume chat | GPT-4o mini | Lower output list price ($0.6/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Lower TTFT (120 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Larger window (262k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Seed 2.1 Turbo). |
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
