Currently, it looks like there’s a brand new ChatGPT model popping up each different day. There’s GPT-4o, the all-rounder, o3, the deep thinker, some speedy “mini” fashions that nobody is aware of what they do, GPT-4.5 for artistic writing, and some legacy variations you in all probability would need to keep away from. So if you happen to’ve ever puzzled which ChatGPT model to select on your task- you aren’t alone! Even consultants battle to determine which ChatGPT model to make use of and when.
However a number of days again Andrej Karpathy made his opinions clear! On this information, I’ll stroll you thru Andrej Karpathy’s solutions and preferences concerning every ChatGPT model so yow will discover the one which fits you greatest.
ChatGPT Variations
ChatGPT at the moment provides three completely different subscriptions, every with its personal set of ChatGPT variations which you can entry. Here’s a breakdown of it:
| Sort of Subscription | ChatGPT variations |
|---|---|
| Free | GPT‑4.1 mini (limitless), GPT‑4o, o4-mini (restricted) |
| Plus ($20/month) | GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini, o4-mini-high, GPT‑4.5, GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1-mini |
| Professional ($200/month) | GPT-4o, o3, o4-mini, o4-mini-high, GPT‑4.5, GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1-mini, o1 professional mode |
Most of those variations carry one thing distinctive and are specialised for various duties. Utilizing a single mannequin for all your duties is a factor of the previous after we didn’t have the choices. Now it’s about utilizing the fitting mannequin for every process. However not all fashions are price it and a few of them are simply to be ignored – at the very least that’s what’s Andrej Karparthy’s opinion.
Let’s break down his evaluation of all of the ChatGPT variations.
Decoding ChaGPT Fashions with Andrej Karpathy
Andrej Karpathy is a widely known AI researcher recognized for his work in deep studying and laptop imaginative and prescient. Final week he shared his ideas on varied LLMs that ChatGPT has to supply.
GPT-4o
“Use this mannequin for something straightforward and quick. It’s nice for basic duties”
– Andrej Karparthy
GPT-4o is probably the most dependable mannequin beneath the ChatGPT hood. The mannequin is designed to supply a steadiness between pace and accuracy. It handles all kinds of duties with nice ease and coherence, making it splendid for many of our day-to-day duties. Whether or not you should whip up an electronic mail, write a weblog publish, or reply a basic question, GPT-4o has your again.
Which duties to make use of GPT-4o for?
- Writing emails, social media posts, and blogs
- Answering FAQs or basic information questions
- Gentle coding help like easy perform era or debugging
- Summarizing articles or paperwork
- Informal dialog and brainstorming
The place it struggles: It’s much less efficient for deeply advanced reasoning or duties requiring multi-step logic and precision, the place specialised fashions carry out higher.
My take: GPT-4o is the very best default mannequin for many customers – quick, versatile, and dependable. It’s the go-to alternative for on a regular basis AI help.
o3
“Use this mannequin for something arduous and vital. The mannequin is gradual however tremendous clever”
– Andrej Karparthy
Now, o3 is the “thinker” within the ChatGPT mannequin household. This mannequin is optimized for superior reasoning and complicated problem-solving. It trades pace for intelligence, giving detailed responses on duties that require multi-step considering or complete evaluation. So when you have a tough doc to evaluate Or possibly only a tough maths drawback or equation, this mannequin takes its time to dig deep and course of arduous and offer you actual options.
Which duties to make use of o3 for?
- Authorized doc evaluation and contract evaluate
- Advanced scientific analysis and information evaluation
- Debugging and explaining difficult code
- Writing detailed technical or tutorial studies
- Duties requiring essential, step-by-step reasoning
The place it struggles: The mannequin provides slower response instances and better compute necessities making it much less appropriate for fast, informal duties or large-scale manufacturing environments the place pace is essential.
My take: Use o3 when accuracy and depth matter greater than pace. It’s the heavy hitter for robust, vital issues.
o3 Professional
o3 Professional is the most recent addition to the ChatGPT household. This model guarantees extra computational energy than its counterpart o3 with greater accuracy for advanced queries. This model of ChatGPT comes with higher software integration and thus is able to offering extra relabible responses for net searches and file evaluation. In comparison with o3 it’s gradual, but when pitied in opposition to different prime reasoning mode, o3 Professional performs quick. So when you have a process that requires breaking down of advanced duties, in depth evaluation of code or maths – the mannequin can assist however its really helpful to validate its responses because the mannequin largely looks like a hald baked cookie.
Which duties to make use of o3 Professional for?
- Multi step code synthesis or Python execution
- Doc summarization and audit compliance
- Picture or doc evaluation
- Strategising long run enterprise targets
- Searchhing throughout completely different on-line platforms
The place is struggles: The mannequin struggles with accuracy and correct reasoning when coping with multi-pronged issues.
My take: The mannequin can be utilized for non-critical information evaluation duties or in areas the place you need a fast response for a barely tough process.
Additionally Learn: OpenAI o3 professional vs Gemini 2.5 professional
o4-mini
“Don’t use this mannequin”
– Andrej Karparthy
This mannequin was launched to carry superior reasoning at a very quick pace and that’s precisely the place issues get tough. The mannequin can generate solutions shortly however it tends to supply much less dependable and largely incoherent outcomes. Its pace will be a bonus however it doesn’t outweigh the hallucinations and inaccuracy. All of this makes it unsuitable for skilled or critical use.
Which duties to make use of o4-mini for?
- Experimental initiatives the place pace issues greater than correctness like for vibe coding.
- Informal or non-critical testing and play like for designing youngsters’s video games.
The place it struggles: The mannequin produces inconsistent, inaccurate, or incomplete solutions, particularly on technical or factual queries.
My take: Regardless of its pace, I cannot suggest it resulting from poor reliability. It’s higher to decide on a slower however extra dependable mannequin.
o4-mini-high
“Don’t use this mannequin”
– Andrej Karparthy
The mannequin is a twin to o4-mini in the case of efficiency. That’s the reason much like the o4-mini, the o4-mini-high mannequin comes with speedy outputs with higher coding and visible reasoning capabilities. Nonetheless, this mannequin too has the elemental problems with poor reliability and high quality. The pace comes at the price of accuracy leading to incorrect code solutions or flawed reasoning. Until you’re testing experimental options casually, it’s best to keep away from this mannequin for essential work.
Which duties to make use of o4-mini-high for?
- Fast, tough coding or visible reasoning demos (e.g., exhibiting an idea in a hackathon or workshop)
- AI experiments the place pace trumps correctness (e.g., playful AI-based video games or chatbots)
The place it struggles: The mannequin provides decrease output high quality and reliability; vulnerable to errors and hallucinations.
My take: I cannot advise utilizing this mannequin for critical duties, it’s solely okay for informal enjoying.
o1 Professional Mode
“Don’t use this mannequin”
– Andrej Karparthy
o1 Professional is the grandfather for the reasoning fashions. As soon as thought of an professional reasoning mannequin, o1 Professional Mode is now largely outdated. The mannequin out there solely within the Professional model, is basically inaccessible for a lot of. It faces robust competitors from many new fashions by Gemini and Deepseek that present higher outcomes at a a lot decrease value. Though it could possibly nonetheless produce considerate solutions, its slower pace and outdated structure make it much less interesting for many present purposes.
Which duties to make use of o1 Professional for?
- Operating legacy initiatives that require backward compatibility (e.g., sustaining older AI workflows)
- Not really helpful for brand new or essential duties
The place it struggles: Slower pace, decrease accuracy in comparison with newer fashions, and lacking the most recent options.
My take: Its time to say goodbye and transfer on to raised, sooner choices.
GPT-4.1
“Use this mannequin for vibe coding”
– Andrej Karparthy
For the coders and techies, GPT-4.1 is a helpful sidekick. The mannequin is made for speedy and efficient coding assist. It’s optimized to generate code snippets, debug scripts, and help coders effectively. It produces an ideal steadiness between pace and contextual understanding, enabling quick iteration throughout growth. Whereas it could not match o3’s reasoning depth, it offers sensible coding assist that’s splendid for day-to-day programming duties.
Which duties to make use of GPT-4.1 for?
- Writing, debugging, or explaining code snippets
- Speedy prototyping throughout software program growth (e.g., producing boilerplate code)
- Studying programming ideas or getting fast code examples.
The place it struggles: In duties involving advanced or deeply analytical duties outdoors coding.
My take: Nice for builders who need swift, stable assist on their coding journey.
GPT-4.1-mini
“Don’t use this mannequin”
– Andrej Karparthy
The mini model of GPT-4.1 guarantees pace however falls brief on high quality and coherence. It typically produces poorer high quality and fewer dependable outputs than its counterparts of comparable sizes. Like different mini fashions, it’s higher fitted to experimentation or informal use moderately than critical initiatives.
Which duties to make use of GPT-4.1-mini for?
- Informal or low-stakes experiments (e.g., testing primary chatbot responses)
- Fast, casual queries that don’t require detailed solutions
The place it struggles: In duties requiring excessive output high quality higher contextual understanding.
My take: Keep on with the total GPT-4.1 if you’d like respectable assist.
GPT-4.5 (Analysis Preview)
“Use this mannequin for artistic writing”
– Andrej Karparthy
GPT-4.5 mannequin places “artwork” in “Good”. The mannequin is appropriate for artistic writing and ideation. It excels at producing imaginative and attractive content material, making it good fo duties like storytelling, poetry, brainstorming, and advertising content material. This mannequin is commonly vulnerable to inconsistencies or factual inaccuracies, its artistic power makes it a priceless software for content material creators seeking to transcend the same old.
Which duties to make use of GPT-4.5 for?
- Writing artistic tales, poems, or scripts (e.g., drafting a brief story or poem)
- Brainstorming promoting slogans or advertising taglines (e.g., catchy marketing campaign concepts)
- Exploring uncommon or imaginative ideas (e.g., producing fantasy world concepts)
- Ideation classes for content material creators or artists
The place it struggles: Much less constant factual accuracy and stability; not really helpful for mission-critical or technical reasoning duties.
My take: A promising mannequin for artistic professionals who need to experiment with AI-generated concepts and prose.
Deep Analysis Instrument
“Use this for deep analysis”
– Andrej Karparthy
“Run deep analysis” software is a complicated characteristic that mixes the ability of ChatGPT fashions with real-time net searches and multi-source information retrieval. It’s designed to supply thorough and up-to-date solutions. This software synthesizes info from a number of paperwork, making it good for in-depth analysis initiatives, tutorial work, and different advanced investigations. It’s nice for deep dives like tutorial work, market analysis, or coverage evaluation.
Which duties to make use of Deep Analysis for?
- Educational analysis that wants the most recent research and papers (e.g., compiling a literature evaluate)
- Market analysis that requires up-to-date trade tendencies (e.g., analyzing competitor methods)
- Coverage and authorized evaluation involving latest laws (e.g., summarizing new legal guidelines or laws)
The place it struggles: In duties counting on web information high quality. The responses will be slower resulting from search and synthesis overhead.
My take: A robust augmentation for advanced, information-heavy duties the place complete and present solutions are required.
ChatGPT Model Comparability
Here’s a concise abstract of all of the fashions at the moment out there in ChatGPT, their particulars, limitations, and a few use circumstances.
| Model | Description | Finest Use Instances & Examples | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | Balanced, quick, dependable | Emails, blogs, mild coding (e.g., refund electronic mail, utils) | Not for deep reasoning |
| o3 | Deep reasoning, slower | Authorized/scientific evaluation, advanced debugging | Slower, costly |
| o4-mini | Very quick, unreliable | Informal testing, experimental | Low accuracy, hallucinations |
| o4-mini-high | Quick, coding/visible claims | Experimental coding demos | Liable to errors |
| GPT-4.5 (Preview) | Artistic, imaginative | Storytelling, adverts, brainstorming | Much less constant, factual gaps |
| o1 Professional Mode | Legacy superior reasoning | Legacy methods solely | Gradual, outdated |
| GPT-4.1 | Quick coding assist | Code era/debugging (e.g., scrapers, fixes) | Restricted advanced reasoning |
| GPT-4.1-mini | Light-weight, quick, decrease high quality | Informal experiments, casual queries | Much less dependable |
| Run Deep Analysis | Internet-augmented multi-source software | Educational analysis, market intel, coverage evaluation | Relying on net information, slower |
Conclusion
Makers of ChatGPT have made the GPT 4o the default mannequin within the Chatbot for a motive – its simply what you want for any daily assist. For tough and detailed duties, herald o3. Its cheaper too now. For some artistic aptitude use GPT-4.5’s, whereas coders can get fast assist from GPT-4.1. Keep away from the mini fashions for something critical, and depend on the “Run deep analysis” software when you should dig deep and pull in recent information. We agree with Andrej Karpathy’s opinion for many of the fashions! Out of the 9 fashions that ChatGPT at the moment provides – it’s simply 4 fashions which can be actually price your time.
Use this information and I hope it can save you a while and maximize the standard of outputs that you just get utilizing ChatGPT!
Anu Madan is an professional in tutorial design, content material writing, and B2B advertising, with a expertise for remodeling advanced concepts into impactful narratives. Along with her concentrate on Generative AI, she crafts insightful, progressive content material that educates, evokes, and drives significant engagement.
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