ChatGPT Model Selection Guide
Your complete reference for choosing the right model for every task
| Model | Speed | Cost | Best For | Avoid For | Power Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o "The Generalist" | Fast | Low | Quick summaries Brainstorming Image analysis Casual chat Real-time chatbots | Critical code Accounting/math Deep research | Default choice for 40-50% of tasks. Great starting point before escalating to specialized models. |
| o3 "The Professor" | Medium | Medium | Multi-step reasoning Math problems Legal questions Business decisions Philosophy | Quick lookups Simple questions Real-time needs | Watch its reasoning process! Often saves time by getting it right the first time vs multiple GPT-4o iterations. |
| Deep Research "The Scholar" | Slow (5-10min) | High | Academic research Literature reviews Data-backed reports Presentation prep Recent web data | Quick answers Casual questions Time-sensitive tasks | Answer clarifying questions thoughtfully. Think of it as your personal research assistant that disappears and returns with citations. |
| GPT-4.5 "The Wordsmith" | Medium | Medium | Marketing copy Creative writing Emotional tone Brand voice Persuasive content | Math/logic Factual research Technical tasks | Preview model - may disappear. Focus on flow over precision. Great for "vibe" and personality. |
| GPT-4.1 "The Coder" | Fast | Low | Coding tasks Long documents (API) Instruction following Refactoring 1M token context | Creative writing Complex reasoning | API unlocks 1M token window! Use with tools like Guey.ai, n8n, or repo prompts for massive codebases. |
| GPT-4.1 mini "The Intern" | Very Fast | Very Low | Budget coding Long transcripts CSV processing High volume tasks | Mission-critical work Complex reasoning | Junior version of 4.1. Still gets 1M tokens via API. May need a second pass but incredibly cost-effective. |
| o4 mini "The Workhorse" | Fast | Low | Logic puzzles STEM tasks o3 fallback Real-time chatbots | Creative tasks Deep research | Underrated model! Reasoning close to o3 but 4x faster. Perfect when o3 quota runs out. |
| o4 mini high "The Mathematician" | Medium | Medium | Complex math Matrix calculations STEM workloads High-volume API | General tasks Creative work | More compute per token than o4 mini. Great for bypassing o3's rate limits on STEM-heavy workloads. |
| o3 Pro "The Oracle" | Very Slow (10-20min) | Very High | Impossible problems Formal proofs Critical audits High-stakes decisions | Everything else 99% of tasks | Only use when o3 fails or stakes are extremely high. Can take 20+ minutes for simple questions! |
🚀 Power User Workflows
The Tag Team: Start with o3 for complex questions to get it right the first time, then switch to GPT-4o for faster follow-ups and iterations.
The Escalation Path: GPT-4o → o3 → Deep Research → o3 Pro. Only move up when the previous model can't handle your task.
The API Power Move: Use GPT-4.1 or 4.1 mini through API for massive documents (up to 1M tokens). Perfect for entire codebases or legal documents.
The Budget Optimizer: Use o4 mini as your o3 replacement when quota runs out. Similar reasoning quality at 4x the speed.
The Creative Flow: GPT-4.5 for initial creative writing → GPT-4o for edits → o3 for fact-checking any claims.
📝 API Note: Many models (especially 4.1 and 4.1 mini) unlock their full potential through the API with custom system prompts and massive context windows. API usage is billed separately from ChatGPT subscriptions. Consider tools like Guey.ai, n8n, or direct SDK integration for advanced use cases.
💡 Key Takeaway: Treat the model dropdown like a toolbox,
The above table was created from the contents of a video originally published by Futerpedia - See full video below: