GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is a search-augmented variant of OpenAI's mini-tier model, designed to surface live web results within a conversational interface. Its intelligence benchmarks are modest, with an intelligence index of 12.6 and MMLU-Pro at 0.648, placing it well below frontier-tier models. The 128K context window is adequate for most document tasks, and the search capability adds real utility for content research workflows.

For businesses, this model fits best in lightweight research, SEO content drafting, and fact-gathering pipelines where live web access matters more than deep reasoning. It is not suited for complex coding, multi-step agentic tasks, or high-stakes analysis. The text-only output modality limits its versatility compared to multimodal alternatives at similar price points.

At $0.15 input and $0.60 output per million tokens, pricing is accessible. Teams running high-volume content research or SEO workflows will find it cost-effective, but those needing stronger reasoning or coding should look to higher-tier OpenAI models.

Assessed June 6, 2026

Rankings consider pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, and real-world applicability and are refreshed as new models launch. Feedback?