Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 vs Grok 3 Mini
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 (2025) and Grok 3 Mini (2025) are general-purpose language models from Google DeepMind and xAI. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 ships a 1M-token context window, while Grok 3 Mini ships a 131k-token context window. On pricing, Grok 3 Mini costs $0.3/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Grok 3 Mini is ~317% cheaper at $0.3/1M; pay for Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 only for long-context analysis.
Specs
| Released | 2025-05-06 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 1M | 131k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Unknown | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 | Grok 3 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $0.5/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 | Grok 3 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Grok 3 Mini. Both models share structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 lists $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output tokens, while Grok 3 Mini lists $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok 3 Mini lower by about $3.52 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Grok 3 Mini when provider fit and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Grok 3 Mini?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 supports 1M tokens, while Grok 3 Mini supports 131k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Grok 3 Mini?
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 costs $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output tokens. Grok 3 Mini costs $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Grok 3 Mini open source?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 is listed under Unknown. Grok 3 Mini is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Grok 3 Mini?
Grok 3 Mini has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Grok 3 Mini?
Both Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 and Grok 3 Mini expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 and Grok 3 Mini?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 is available on OpenRouter. Grok 3 Mini is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.