GPT-4.1 is OpenAI's April 2025 general-purpose API model, purpose-built for coding and instruction following with a context window of 1.0M tokens, a 21-point SWE-bench gain over GPT-4o, and a 75% prompt caching discount, at a lower cost than its predecessor.
import { streamText } from 'ai'
const result = streamText({ model: 'openai/gpt-4.1', prompt: 'Why is the sky blue?'})GPT-4.1 arrived on April 14, 2025 alongside two smaller siblings: GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4.1 nano. OpenAI built this release around measurable improvements in three areas rather than incremental gains across a broad benchmark suite.
Coding was the centerpiece. GPT-4.1 scored 21.4 points higher than GPT-4o on SWE-bench Verified, the benchmark that measures a model's ability to autonomously resolve real GitHub issues. It also scored 26.6 points above GPT-4.5. For teams building AI-assisted development tools, this translates to better codebase comprehension, more correct patches, and stronger adherence to repository-specific conventions.
Instruction adherence also improved substantially. On Scale AI's MultiChallenge benchmark, GPT-4.1 reached 38.3%, a 10.5-point increase over GPT-4o. This matters for any pipeline where the model must follow a multi-step specification exactly: structured data extraction, form filling, and compliance document processing.
The context window of 1.0M tokens pairs with genuine retrieval accuracy across the full range, not just nominal capacity. OpenAI also restructured pricing: GPT-4.1 costs less than GPT-4o for equivalent queries, the prompt caching discount increased to 75%, and long-context requests no longer carry surcharges. The knowledge cutoff is June 2024.