GPT-4o-mini Search Preview vs Grok 4
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview (2025) and Grok 4 (2026) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and xAI. GPT-4o-mini Search Preview ships a 128K-token context window, while Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window. On pricing, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview costs $0.15/1M input tokens versus $3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is ~1900% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-02-26 | 2026-03-01 |
| Context window | 128K | 256k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Unknown | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o-mini Search Preview | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.15/1M tokens | $3/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.6/1M tokens | $15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o-mini Search Preview | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | Yes |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Grok 4, reasoning mode: Grok 4, function calling: Grok 4, tool use: Grok 4, and code execution: Grok 4. 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, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview lists $0.15/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens, while Grok 4 lists $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GPT-4o-mini Search Preview lower by about $6.31 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4o-mini Search Preview when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview or Grok 4?
Grok 4 supports 256k tokens, while GPT-4o-mini Search Preview supports 128K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview or Grok 4?
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4o-mini Search Preview costs $0.15/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens. Grok 4 costs $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4o-mini Search Preview or Grok 4 open source?
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is listed under Unknown. Grok 4 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, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview or Grok 4?
Grok 4 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 reasoning mode, GPT-4o-mini Search Preview or Grok 4?
Grok 4 has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run GPT-4o-mini Search Preview and Grok 4?
GPT-4o-mini Search Preview is available on OpenRouter. Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.