Grok 3 Mini vs Mixtral 8x22B v0.1
Grok 3 Mini (2025) and Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 (2024) are compact production models from xAI and MistralAI. Grok 3 Mini ships a 131k-token context window, while Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 ships a 64K-token context window. On pricing, Grok 3 Mini costs $0.3/1M input tokens versus $0.3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Grok 3 Mini is safer overall; choose Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 when provider fit matters.
Specs
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2024-04-17 |
| Context window | 131k | 64K |
| Parameters | — | 8x22B |
| Architecture | - | mixture of experts |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Grok 3 Mini | Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.3/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.9/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Grok 3 Mini | Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 and structured outputs: Grok 3 Mini. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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, Grok 3 Mini lists $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens, while Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 lists $0.3/1M input and $0.9/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok 3 Mini lower by about $0.12 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 8, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 3 Mini when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 when provider fit 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Grok 3 Mini or Mixtral 8x22B v0.1?
Grok 3 Mini supports 131k tokens, while Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 supports 64K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Grok 3 Mini or Mixtral 8x22B v0.1?
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 3 Mini costs $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens. Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 costs $0.3/1M input and $0.9/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 3 Mini or Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 open source?
Grok 3 Mini is listed under Proprietary. Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 is listed under Apache 2.0. 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, Grok 3 Mini or Mixtral 8x22B v0.1?
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, Grok 3 Mini or Mixtral 8x22B v0.1?
Grok 3 Mini has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Grok 3 Mini and Mixtral 8x22B v0.1?
Grok 3 Mini is available on OpenRouter. Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 is available on NVIDIA NIM, OctoAI API, Fireworks AI, DeepInfra, and Baseten API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.