Grok-3 vs o3 Mini
Grok-3 (2025) and o3 Mini (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from xAI and OpenAI. Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window, while o3 Mini ships a 200k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok-3 leads by 0.8 pts. On pricing, Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input tokens versus $1.10/1M 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 safer overall; choose o3 Mini when coding workflow support matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok-3 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 131k | 200k |
| Cheapest output | $2.40/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 4 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok-3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 0.8 points.
- Grok-3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.40/1M tokens.
- Grok-3 uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- o3 Mini holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 7.1 points.
- o3 Mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o3 Mini uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 Mini 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
o3 Mini
$1,980
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $740. 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.
- o3 Mini is $2.00/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- o3 Mini adds Code execution in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $2.00/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Grok-3 adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2025-01-31 |
| Context window | 131k | 200k |
| 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 | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok-3 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.80/1M tokens | $1.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.40/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok-3 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| 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 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 79.9 | 79.1 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 84.6 | 79.7 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1405.0 | 1335.0 |
| Aider Polyglot | 53.3 | 60.4 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.