Grok 4.3 vs Qwen3-235B-A22B
Grok 4.3 (2026) and Qwen3-235B-A22B (2025) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and Alibaba. Grok 4.3 ships a 1M-token context window, while Qwen3-235B-A22B ships a 128K-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Grok 4.3 leads by 4 pts. On pricing, Qwen3-235B-A22B costs $0.4/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Qwen3-235B-A22B is ~213% cheaper at $0.4/1M; pay for Grok 4.3 only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Coding, RAG, and Long context |
| Context window | 1M | 128K |
| Cheapest output | $2.5/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Google-Proof Q&A leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4.3 leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Google-Proof Q&A by 4 points.
- Grok 4.3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4.3 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4.3 for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.2/1M tokens.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-235B-A22B for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Grok 4.3
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route: xAI Console
Qwen3-235B-A22B
$620
Cheapest tracked route: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $1,005. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B is $1.3/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4.3 is $1.3/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4.3 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-05-06 | 2025-04-29 |
| Context window | 1M | 128K |
| Parameters | ~0.5T | 235B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-11 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.5/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 90.1 | 86.1 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has Grok 4.3 at 90.1 and Qwen3-235B-A22B at 86.1, with Grok 4.3 ahead by 4 points. The largest visible gap is 4 points on Google-Proof Q&A, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Grok 4.3, multimodal input: Grok 4.3, reasoning mode: Grok 4.3, function calling: Grok 4.3, and tool use: Grok 4.3. 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, Grok 4.3 lists $1.25/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens, while Qwen3-235B-A22B lists $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3-235B-A22B lower by about $0.99 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 4.3 when reasoning depth and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3-235B-A22B when provider fit, lower input-token cost, 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Grok 4.3 supports 1M tokens, while Qwen3-235B-A22B supports 128K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is cheaper, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Qwen3-235B-A22B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 4.3 costs $1.25/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens. Qwen3-235B-A22B costs $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 4.3 or Qwen3-235B-A22B open source?
Grok 4.3 is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3-235B-A22B 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 vision, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Grok 4.3 has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Grok 4.3 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.
Where can I run Grok 4.3 and Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Grok 4.3 is available on xAI Console, OpenRouter, and Microsoft Foundry. Qwen3-235B-A22B is available on Fireworks AI, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and Venice AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-20. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.