GPT-4o-mini vs MiniMax M3
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
GPT-4o-mini (OpenAI) and MiniMax M3 (MiniMax), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 GPT-4o-mini |  MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | MiniMax |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥26.81 | ¥53.61 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥107.22 | ¥214.44 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥80 | ¥161 |
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Release date | 7/18/2024 | 5/31/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, file | text, image, video |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | #251 · ELO 1,318 | #84 · ELO 1,441 |
| Arena · Japanese | #187 · ELO 1,250 | #77 · ELO 1,398 |
| Arena · coding | #259 · ELO 1,348 | #73 · ELO 1,496 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, GPT-4o-mini: ¥107.22 per 1M output tokens, 50% less than MiniMax M3.
- On the Overall arena board, MiniMax M3 ranks higher (#84; GPT-4o-mini is #251).
- On the Japanese arena board, MiniMax M3 ranks higher (#77; GPT-4o-mini is #187).
- On the Coding arena board, MiniMax M3 ranks higher (#73; GPT-4o-mini is #259).
- For long documents, MiniMax M3: a 1,048,576-token context window against 128,000 for GPT-4o-mini.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
GPT-4o-mini
To count the number of 'r's in the word "strawberry," we can follow these steps:
1. **Identify the word**: We have the word "strawberry."
2. **Break down the letters**: Let's write out the letters in the word:
- s
- t
- r
- a
- w
- b
- e
- r
- r
- y
3. **Locate the 'r's**: Now, we need to look for the letter 'r' among these letters.
- In the list of letters, we can see:
- The first 'r' is in the 3rd position.
- The second 'r' is in the 8th position.
- The third 'r' is in the 9th position.
4. **Count the occurrences**: We check each position we identified:
- There are three occurrences of 'r' in the word "strawberry."
5. **Conclusion**:…
2.1s239 output tokens
MiniMax M3
# Counting 'r's in "strawberry"
Let me go through the word letter by letter:
**s** - t - **r** - a - w - b - e - **r** - **r** - y
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | s | No |
| 2 | t | No |
| 3 | **r** | ✓ (1st) |
| 4 | a | No |
| 5 | w | No |
| 6 | b | No |
| 7 | e | No |
| 8 | **r** | ✓ (2nd) |
| 9 | **r** | ✓ (3rd) |
| 10 | y | No |
## Answer: **3**
The word "strawberry" contains **three 'r's** — one at position 3, and two consecutive 'r's at positions 8 and 9.
25.6s455 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
GPT-4o-mini
The error you're encountering, `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')`, indicates that the `users` prop is `undefined` when you try to call the `map` method on it.
In your `UserList` component, you're attempting to use `users.map(...)`, but if the `users` prop is not provided or is `undefined`, this will throw an error.
### Fixing the Error
1. **Default Props**: You can set a default value for the `users` prop to prevent the error when it is `undefined`.
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) { // Default to an empty array
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```…
5.0s511 output tokens
MiniMax M3
# Error Analysis
The error `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` tells you that **`users` is `undefined`** when your component runs. JavaScript can't call `.map()` on `undefined`, so it throws this error.
The component itself is fine syntactically — the problem is that the `users` prop isn't being passed, or hasn't loaded yet.
## Common Causes
**1. The prop isn't passed at all:**
```jsx
<UserList /> // No users prop → users is undefined
```
**2. Data is still loading (async fetch):**
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially
```
**3. API returns undefined:**
```jsx
const { data } = await fetch('/api/users').then(r => r.json());
setUsers(data);…
32.8s710 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
GPT-4o-mini
Your Python function, `get_data`, essentially performs a GET request, handles retries on failure, and processes the response JSON to return a filtered list of dictionaries. Below, I've highlighted several improvements regarding readability, performance, and best practices:
1. **Avoid blanket exceptions**: It’s best practice to specify which exceptions you expect, allowing for better debugging and error handling.
2. **Use `requests` built-in exception handling**: Handle specific requests exceptions, such as `requests.exceptions.RequestException`.
3. **Improve condition checks**: Check for `item['active']` directly instead of comparing to `True`, which is more Pythonic.
4. **Use `time.sl…
8.8s628 output tokens
MiniMax M3
## Code Review
This function works for the happy path, but it has several issues around error handling, retries, and readability. Here's a breakdown.
### 🐛 Bugs & Correctness Issues
| # | Issue | Why It Matters |
|---|-------|----------------|
| 1 | `except:` with no exception type | Swallows `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and *everything else* (typos, `MemoryError`). You lose visibility into real failures. |
| 2 | Retries on every non‑200, including `4xx` | A `404` or `401` will never succeed by retrying — it just wastes time and rate-limit budget. |
| 3 | `if item["active"] == True` | Both linters (PEP 8 E712) and Python idiom prefer `if item["active"]:`. |
| 4 | `item["active"]` (…
33.4s3977 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, GPT-4o-mini or MiniMax M3?
- Per 1M output tokens, GPT-4o-mini is ¥107.22 and MiniMax M3 is ¥214.44 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so GPT-4o-mini is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of GPT-4o-mini and MiniMax M3 compare?
- GPT-4o-mini takes 128,000 tokens; MiniMax M3 takes 1,048,576.
- Which ranks higher, GPT-4o-mini or MiniMax M3?
- MiniMax M3 ranks higher on the public arena (GPT-4o-mini #187, MiniMax M3 #77). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use GPT-4o-mini and MiniMax M3 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "gpt-4o-mini" or "minimax-m3" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call GPT-4o-mini and MiniMax M3 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.