Grok-3 vs Grok 4.3 Beta
Grok-3 (2026) and Grok 4.3 Beta (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from xAI. Grok-3 ships a 1M-token context window, while Grok 4.3 Beta ships a 2M-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing. The goal is to make the tradeoff clear before deeper testing.
Grok 4.3 Beta is safer overall; choose Grok-3 when vision-heavy evaluation matters.
Specs
| Released | 2026-01-15 | 2026-04-17 |
| Context window | 1M | 2M |
| Parameters | 1B | ~0.5T |
| Architecture | - | - |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Grok-3 | Grok 4.3 Beta | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.8/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $2.4/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Grok-3 | Grok 4.3 Beta | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 is close: both models cover vision, multimodal input, reasoning mode, function calling, and tool use. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Grok-3 has $0.8/1M input tokens and Grok 4.3 Beta has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 3 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Grok-3 when vision-heavy evaluation and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok 4.3 Beta when long-context analysis and larger context windows 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. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Grok-3 or Grok 4.3 Beta?
Grok 4.3 Beta supports 2M tokens, while Grok-3 supports 1M tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Grok-3 or Grok 4.3 Beta open source?
Grok-3 is listed under Proprietary. Grok 4.3 Beta 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 vision, Grok-3 or Grok 4.3 Beta?
Both Grok-3 and Grok 4.3 Beta expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Grok-3 or Grok 4.3 Beta?
Both Grok-3 and Grok 4.3 Beta expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Grok-3 or Grok 4.3 Beta?
Both Grok-3 and Grok 4.3 Beta expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run Grok-3 and Grok 4.3 Beta?
Grok-3 is available on OpenRouter, xAI Console, and Chutes AI. Grok 4.3 Beta is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-25. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.