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© 2026 CompareLLM. Public benchmark data aggregated from Arena Elo, LiveBench, SWE-bench & OpenRouter.

Every score has a dated snapshot.

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  2. Comparisons
  3. GPT-5 mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-5 mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo benchmark

This page compares GPT-5 mini (OpenAI) and Seed 2.1 Turbo (ByteDance) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, Seed 2.1 Turbo is ahead by 62 points (1,472 vs 1,410; seed-bootstrap (Aug 16, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, Seed 2.1 Turbo resolves 63.2% versus 52.4% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 16, 2026)). Seed 2.1 Turbo streams faster (160 tok/s) while GPT-5 mini is the cheaper output token ($2/1M). GPT-5 mini has the larger context window (400k tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.

Quick answer

GPT-5 mini vs Seed 2.1 Turbo is a dated snapshot, not a lab score. Seed 2.1 Turbo leads preference Elo (1,472 vs 1,410). Seed 2.1 Turbo leads SWE-bench coding. GPT-5 mini is the cheaper output token. Elo is crowd preference, not an exam. Pick the column that matches the job.
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OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Cost-efficient GPT-5 distill for high-volume agents.

Elo 1,410$2/1M out

ByteDance

Seed 2.1 Turbo

ByteDance Seed 2.1 Turbo, listed on public model timelines as an Aug 10 2026 API drop.

Elo 1,472$2.5/1M out

Swap or Add Any Model to this Matchup

Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs

Model A
Model B
Quick vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Claude Opus 4.6vs Claude Sonnet 4.5vs Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Interactive Comparison Diagram

Matchup Breakdown

Tug-of-War Matchup Matrix

Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.

GPT-5 mini (3)vsSeed 2.1 Turbo (7)
GPT-5 mini: 3W (30%)Overall: Seed 2.1 TurboSeed 2.1 Turbo: 7W (70%)
← GPT-5 miniSeed 2.1 Turbo →
Seed 2.1 Turbo (5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Preference Elo
1,410vs1,472
Coding Elo
1,395vs1,480
SWE-bench
52.4%vs63.2%
LiveBench
61.2%vs64.8%
GPQA Diamond
72%vs76.8%
GPT-5 mini: 0WSeed 2.1 Turbo: 5W
Seed 2.1 Turbo (2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Output speed
155 tok/svs160 tok/s
Time to first token
140 msvs120 ms
GPT-5 mini: 0WSeed 2.1 Turbo: 2W
GPT-5 mini (3/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Output price
$2/1Mvs$2.5/1M
Input price
$0.25/1Mvs$0.5/1M
Context window
400kvs262k
GPT-5 mini: 3WSeed 2.1 Turbo: 0W
Capability Matchup Radar

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Dimensional AdvantageSeed 2.1 Turbo 4/6
Preference Elo

Seed 2.1 Turbo

62 pts advantage

Throughput Speed

Seed 2.1 Turbo

5 tok/s faster

Price Efficiency

GPT-5 mini

$0.50/1M cheaper

Full Benchmark Score Matrix

—
Elo
High is better
1,410
EloHigh is better
1,472+4%
Code Elo
High is better
1,395
Code EloHigh is better
1,480+6%
LiveBench
High is better
61.2%
LiveBenchHigh is better
64.8%+6%
SWE-bench
High is better
52.4%
SWE-benchHigh is better
63.2%+21%
GPQA
High is better
72%
GPQAHigh is better
76.8%+7%
TTFT
Low is better
140 ms
TTFTLow is better
120 ms+17%
Speed
High is better
155 tok/s
SpeedHigh is better
160 tok/s+3%
In $
Low is better
+100%$0.25/1M
In $Low is better
$0.5/1M
Out $
Low is better
+25%$2/1M
Out $Low is better
$2.5/1M
Context
High is better
+53%400k
ContextHigh is better
262k
Interactive Simulator

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.

Save up to 30% with GPT-5 mini
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-5 mini$38.75 / mo
In: $8.75Out: $30.00
Seed 2.1 Turbo$55.00 / mo
In: $17.50Out: $37.50
Estimated Cost Delta

GPT-5 mini is estimated to save $16.25/month ($195/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    Seed 2.1 Turbo:Pick Seed 2.1 Turbo when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when you are optimizing output cost.
  • 3
    Seed 2.1 Turbo:Pick Seed 2.1 Turbo when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsSeed 2.1 Turbo

Higher SWE-bench (63.2%).

High-volume chatGPT-5 mini

Lower output list price ($2/1M).

Voice / low-latency UISeed 2.1 Turbo

Lower TTFT (120 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5 mini

Larger window (400k).

Screenshots / visionSeed 2.1 Turbo

Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Seed 2.1 Turbo).

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsSeed 2.1 TurboHigher SWE-bench (63.2%).
High-volume chatGPT-5 miniLower output list price ($2/1M).
Voice / low-latency UISeed 2.1 TurboLower TTFT (120 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5 miniLarger window (400k).
Screenshots / visionSeed 2.1 TurboBoth accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Seed 2.1 Turbo).

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
launchAug 10, 2026

Seed 2.1 Turbo (Aug 10): ByteDance’s API drop on the public timeline

Listed on public model timelines as an Aug 10 2026 API drop. Preview-quality story, indexable because we have a full snapshot.

launchAug 8, 2025

GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

High-volume agents that cannot pay Sol. Compare to Luna before you assume the new cheap SKU wins.

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CompareLLM Matrix

Verified head-to-head card

LIVE
VS
OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Elo 1,410
LiveBench61.2%
SWE-bench52.4%
Speed155 tok/s
Output cost$2/1M
ByteDance

Seed 2.1 Turbo

Elo 1,472
LiveBench64.8%
SWE-bench63.2%
Speed160 tok/s
Output cost$2.5/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-5 mini or Seed 2.1 Turbo?
Seed 2.1 Turbo has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,472). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-5 mini or Seed 2.1 Turbo?
Seed 2.1 Turbo leads SWE-bench at 63.2% vs 52.4%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
GPT-5 mini output tokens are $2/1M versus $2.5/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-5 mini or Seed 2.1 Turbo?
Seed 2.1 Turbo has the lower time-to-first-token (120 ms vs 140 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 mini accepts 400k tokens versus 262k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. GPT-5 mini and Seed 2.1 Turbo Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • launch · Aug 10, 2026

    Seed 2.1 Turbo (Aug 10): ByteDance’s API drop on the public timeline

  • launch · Aug 8, 2025

    GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-5 mini matchups →|All Seed 2.1 Turbo matchups →
GPT-5 mini vs OpenAI: o3 Mini (previous gpt-mini)GPT-5 mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna (next gpt-mini)Seed 2.1 Turbo vs Doubao Pro 1.5 (previous seed)GPT-4.5 Orion vs Seed 2.1 TurboGPT-5.6 Terra vs Seed 2.1 TurboGPT-5 vs Seed 2.1 Turbo