GPT-4o (08-06) vs Grok 4
GPT-4o (08-06) (2024) and Grok 4 (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and xAI. GPT-4o (08-06) ships a 128k-token context window, while Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok 4 leads by 12.3 pts. On pricing, Grok 4 costs $1.25/1M input tokens versus $2.50/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Grok 4 is ~100% cheaper at $1.25/1M; pay for GPT-4o (08-06) only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o (08-06) | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 2 shared | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o (08-06) for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Grok 4 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 12.3 points.
- Grok 4 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.50/1M tokens.
- Grok 4 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Grok 4 uniquely exposes Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GPT-4o (08-06)
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Grok 4
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console
Estimated monthly gap: $2,875. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4 is $7.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Grok 4 adds Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o (08-06) is $7.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-08-06 | 2025-07-09 |
| Context window | 128k | 256k |
| Parameters | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Weights | Not released | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o (08-06) | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.50/1M tokens | $1.25/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o (08-06) | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4o (08-06) | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 74.7 | 87.0 |
| Aider Polyglot | 23.1 | 79.6 |
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.