GPT-4.5 vs GPT-4o: Which ChatGPT Model Should You Use?

GPT-4.5 (labeled “Research Preview”) is OpenAI’s newest chat model – and you might be wondering if it’s always better than GPT-4o. The answer: it depends on the task.

GPT-4.5 is like the creative wordsmith: it’s exceptional at producing well-crafted, articulate writing with the right tone and nuance. If you’re drafting a LinkedIn post, a marketing email, or anything where writing quality and style are paramount, GPT-4.5 adds extra polish and “emotional intelligence” to the output. It also has an expanded knowledge base and tends to hallucinate (make factual errors) less, thanks to being a scaled-up model. GPT-4o, on the other hand, is the speedy multitasker: it’s faster, more affordable in usage, and can handle images and files, which GPT-4.5 cannot. For everyday tasks like quick summaries, outlining, or when you need to analyze an image or PDF, GPT-4o is the practical choice. In fact, GPT-4 often outperforms 4.5 on structured brainstorming or analytical problems, because those rely on reasoning more than fancy prose. Also consider access and speed – GPT-4.5 is currently only available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers and can be a bit slower per response due to its size. So if you have Pro and your task is writing-heavy (blog posts, creative storytelling, customer-facing text), give GPT-4.5 a try for its richer output. But for quick responses, visual tasks, or when polish isn’t the top priority, GPT-4o will get the job done faster.

In summary, use GPT-4.5 for content that needs extra creativity and tone, and stick with GPT-4o for quick, general-purpose queries or when working with images.

Want a full breakdown of all the model options and their strengths? Don’t miss our one-page ChatGPT Model Cheat Sheet, which covers GPT-4o, 4.5, o3, and more – it will help you confidently pick the right model every time.