Grok-3 vs Grok 4
Grok-3 (2025) and Grok 4 (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from xAI. Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window, while Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok 4 leads by 7.1 pts. On pricing, Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M 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-3 is ~56% cheaper at $0.80/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok-3 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 131k | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $2.40/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 5 shared | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok-3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on AIME 2025, ahead by 1.6 points.
- Grok-3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.40/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Grok 4 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 7.1 points.
- Grok 4 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Grok-3
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Grok 4
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console
Estimated monthly gap: $385. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, and xAI Console; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4 is $0.10/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4 adds Code execution in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, xAI Console, and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $0.10/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2025-07-09 |
| Context window | 131k | 256k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | - | 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 | 2025-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok-3 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.80/1M tokens | $1.25/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.40/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok-3 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok-3 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 79.9 | 87.0 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 84.6 | 87.5 |
| AIME 2025 | 93.3 | 91.7 |
| LiveCodeBench | 79.4 | 79.0 |
| Aider Polyglot | 53.3 | 79.6 |
Continue comparing
Popular comparisons for Grok-3
Popular comparisons for Grok 4
Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.