Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, OpenAI: o3 Mini delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,560 vs 1,472), while OpenAI: o3 Mini leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (78.5%), while Seed 2.1 Turbo is more budget-friendly at $2.5/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Auto-discovered from OpenRouter (openai/o3-mini). Preview until a second source matches.
ByteDance Seed 2.1 Turbo, listed on public model timelines as an Aug 10 2026 API drop.
Currently comparing OpenAI: o3 Mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo. Alternative family tiers available.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 88 Arena Elo pts
160 tok/s
$2.5 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill 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 | OpenAI: o3 Mini | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +88 | ||
| Coding Elo | +105 | ||
| LiveBench | +7.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +15.3% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +10.4% | ||
| Time to first token | +170 ms | ||
| Output speed | 92 tok/s | 160 tok/s | +68 tok/s |
| Input price | $1.1/1M | $0.5/1M | +$0.6/1M |
| Output price | $4.4/1M | $2.5/1M | +$1.9/1M |
| Context window | +62k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Seed 2.1 Turbo is estimated to save $49.50/month ($594/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).
Lower output list price ($2.5/1M).
Lower TTFT (120 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Seed 2.1 Turbo is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | OpenAI: o3 Mini | Higher SWE-bench (78.5%). |
| High-volume chat | Seed 2.1 Turbo | Lower output list price ($2.5/1M). |
| 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 | Seed 2.1 Turbo is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
Dynamic OpenGraph banner generated at /compare/o3-mini-vs-seed-2-1-turbo/opengraph-image
Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
