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-4o 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.
Written by Dr Hernani Costa and originally published at First AI Movers. Subscribe to the First AI Movers Newsletter for daily, no‑fluff AI business insights, practical and compliant AI playbooks for EU SME leaders. First AI Movers is part of Core Ventures.
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