As OpenAI keeps cranking out GPT after GPT, the dropdown selector in the ChatGPT dashboard is becoming more and more crowded. Looking at all the options like GPT‑4, GPT‑4o, GPT‑4o mini, GPT‑4.5, GPT-o3 and so on… it can cause anyone’s head to spin faster than a rapidly charging laptop or smartphone.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by these myriad ChatGPT model options, you’re not alone. As someone who’s tested these models side by side, and also cross-checking with OpenAI’s model selector guidance, here’s a simplified guide to help you match the right AI to your task – and it requires no AI expertise to understand.
Think of ChatGPT‑4o mini as your caffeine shot — swift, reliable, and barely a compromise on quality. It’s best used for quick fact checks (“What’s the capital of Mongolia?”), instant brainstorming on an idea (a 30‑second bar name generator), and for smartphone-app based use where you might be in a high-latency or irregular network environment.
Also read: OpenAI announces o3 and o4-mini AI reasoning models: Here’s what they can do
It’s important to note that this ChatGPT version isn’t ideal for marathon writing sessions or heavy multimodal work (generating images/audio beyond a quick label). It’s supported in both ChatGPT Free & Plus plans, for unlimited use.
For good reason, OpenAI calls GPT-4o as “omni” because it’s capable of doing everything – which means native handling of text, images, and (where supported) audio — your go-to AI model for anything multimodal related. It’s best for annotating screenshots or whiteboards in real time, cross‑media analysis (think: PDF charts + explanatory text), and for things like designing customer‑support bots that actually “see” what you see. Also for recreating Ghibli images, something that went viral recently.
Remember, it’s not the speediest ChatGPT model – for the absolute fastest replies, you’re still better off with the GPT-4o mini – but this is great for a variety of input and output tasks. It’s available both in ChatGPT Free & Plus, with higher rate limits for Plus users.
The original heavyweight champion of long‑form reasoning with a 32,000 token memory, ChatGPT-4 is best used for long form writing tasks like drafting e‑books, white papers, topical research, or long legal analyses. Developers will find it best for reviewing vast codebases in one go, as well. Extended academic work — proofs, policy models, or multi‑stage arguments – all are well-handled by GPT-4.
Also read: Elon Musk vs Sam Altman: AI breakup that refuses to end
However, OpenAI is sunsetting ChatGPT-4 – that’s right, it retires on April 30, 2025, and it won’t process images natively. Until then, it’s only available on ChatGPT Plus plan only (until end of April 2025, obviously). In fact, it’s not visible to most users right now, at the time of writing this.
For all practical purposes, ChatGPT 4.5 beta is a research preview of what’s coming very soon – ChatGPT-5. Think of it like a sneak peek at GPT‑5’s smarts — bigger, faster, shinier… sometimes rough around the edges. Honestly, I won’t advise most users to use this version of ChatGPT-4.5, because it’s still in beta and prone to errors, but you can still play around with it for fun while experimenting with cutting‑edge summarization or code gen.
Remember also that your usage of ChatGPT-4.5 will also provide feedback to help shape the future GPT‑5 through its test runs. Avoid using it for absolutely mission-critical work, obviously, until then ChatGPT Plus users can access it under “research preview”.
It’s the new flagship in OpenAI’s ChatGPT lineup, their “sharpest analytical engine to date.” According to OpenAI, ChatGPT-o3 sets state‑of‑the‑art marks on Codeforces, SWE‑bench (no special scaffolding needed), and MMMU, while cutting major errors by 20% versus ChatGPT-o1 (its predecessor) on tough, real‑world prompts.
Also read: OpenAI o3 model: How good is ChatGPT’s next AI version?
It’s best for complex, multi‑faceted questions where the answer isn’t obvious. Very good for visual analytics like decoding dense infographics, technical drawings, or medical imagery. Obviously, great for code base reviews, AI / ML logic challenges, and scientific research.
Pure overkill (and costlier) for quick Q&A or casual brainstorming – best to use GPT‑4o mini for these tasks instead. Only available for ChatGPT Plus and API users.
OpenAI calls it the compact powerhouse, because ChatGPT-o4-mini outperforms all benchmarked models on AIME 2024 and 2025, while surpassing its predecessor o3-mini across both STEM and non-STEM domains including data science. It excels at math, coding, and visual tasks where reasoning is critical but full-scale models would be overkill. In other words, perfect for high-volume processing needs that still demand sophisticated analytical capabilities.
Only recommended for tasks that specifically benefit from its reasoning strengths – otherwise, standard models offer better value for everyday applications. Available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers and API users looking to balance performance with throughput.
Next time you access ChatGPT, skip the guesswork — match your need for speed, depth, or multimodality to the right ChatGPT model. Now, before you dive back into your work, I suggest you take a deep breath, click the perfect model, and let the right AI do the heavy lifting. Your to‑do list just got a whole lot shorter.
Also read: ChatGPT 4.1 has 5 improved features that everyone will find useful
