Grok 4 vs Grok 4.5

Name: Grok 4
Author: xAI

Grok 4 (2025) and Grok 4.5 (2026) compare a standalone API model against a coding-specialized model. Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window, while Grok 4.5 ships a 500k-token context window. On pricing, Grok 4 costs $1.25/1M input tokens; Grok 4.5 ranges from $2 to $4/1M input tokens by tier. This page treats the result as workflow and deployment fit, not a universal model winner.

Treat this as a product-type comparison: Grok 4 is standalone API model, while Grok 4.5 is coding-specialized model. Choose based on workflow fit before reading any benchmark or price row as decisive.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first

Signal	Grok 4	Grok 4.5	How to read it
Product type	Standalone API model	Coding-specialized model	Read downstream rows through the product-type lens before comparing benchmarks, prices, or provider availability.
Best for	reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents	custom coding agents, code generation, and tool loops	Use-case synthesis from product type, capability flags, context, and provider data.
Decision fit	Coding, RAG, and Agents	Coding, RAG, and Agents	Primary workload tags from local decision data.
Context window	256k	500k	Higher is better when prompts, retrieval chunks, or transcripts are large.
Cheapest output	$2.50/1M tokens	$6/1M tokens	Cheapest tracked provider route; verify your exact region and tier.
Provider routes	4 tracked	3 tracked	Broader coverage can reduce vendor lock-in and fallback risk.
Shared benchmarks	0 shared	0 shared	No shared benchmark scores are available for this pair yet.

Decision tradeoffs

Choose Grok 4 when...

Grok 4 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.50/1M tokens.
Grok 4 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
Grok 4 uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
Local decision data tags Grok 4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.

Choose Grok 4.5 when...

Grok 4.5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
Local decision data tags Grok 4.5 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.

Lower estimate Grok 4

Requests / monthInput tokens / requestOutput tokens / request

Grok 4

$1,625

Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console

Grok 4.5

$3,100

Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console <=200K prompt tokens

Estimated monthly gap: $1,475. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

Grok 4 -> Grok 4.5

Provider overlap exists on xAI Console and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
Grok 4.5 is $3.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.

Grok 4.5 -> Grok 4

Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and xAI Console; start route-level A/B tests there.
Grok 4 is $3.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Grok 4 adds Structured outputs in local capability data.

Specs

Specification	Grok 4 xAI	Grok 4.5 xAI
Released	2025-07-09	2026-07-08
Context window	256k	500k
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	-	-

Pricing and availability

Pricing attribute	Grok 4	Grok 4.5
Input price	$1.25/1M tokens	<=200K prompt tokens $2/1M tokens Standard Grok 4.5 tier for prompts up to 200K tokens; cache_read stores this tier's $0.50/M cached-input price. >200K prompt tokens $4/1M tokens Long-context Grok 4.5 tier for prompts above 200K tokens; cache-read price is $1.00/M per xAI model page payload.
Output price	$2.50/1M tokens	<=200K prompt tokens $6/1M tokens Standard Grok 4.5 tier for prompts up to 200K tokens; cache_read stores this tier's $0.50/M cached-input price. >200K prompt tokens $12/1M tokens Long-context Grok 4.5 tier for prompts above 200K tokens; cache-read price is $1.00/M per xAI model page payload.
Providers	Microsoft Foundry OpenRouter Replicate API xAI Console	xAI Console OpenRouter Vercel AI Gateway

Capabilities

Capability	Grok 4	Grok 4.5
Vision	Yes	Yes
Multimodal	Yes	Yes
Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Function calling	Yes	Yes
Tool use	Yes	Yes
Structured outputs	Yes	No
Code execution	Yes	Yes
IDE integration	No	No
Computer use	No	No
Parallel agents	No	No

Benchmarks

No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.

Deep dive

The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Grok 4. Both models share vision, multimodal input, reasoning mode, and function calling, 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 lists $1.25/1M input and $2.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Grok 4.5 lists tiered pricing: <=200K prompt tokens is $2/1M input and $6/1M output; >200K prompt tokens is $4/1M input and $12/1M output. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok 4 lower by about $1.57 per million blended tokens. For tiered rows, this cheapest-track view can understate interactive or fast-lane spend, so compare the tier you will actually use. Availability is 4 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.

Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok 4.5 when coding workflow support 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.

FAQ

Which has a larger context window, Grok 4 or Grok 4.5?

Grok 4.5 supports 500k tokens, while Grok 4 supports 256k 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 4 or Grok 4.5?

Grok 4 lists $1.25/1M input and $2.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. Grok 4.5 lists tiered pricing: <=200K prompt tokens is $2/1M input and $6/1M output; >200K prompt tokens is $4/1M input and $12/1M output. Compare the tier you will actually use; cheap async pricing can overstate savings for interactive workflows. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.

Is Grok 4 or Grok 4.5 open source?

Grok 4 is listed under Proprietary. Grok 4.5 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 4 or Grok 4.5?

Both Grok 4 and Grok 4.5 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 4 or Grok 4.5?

Both Grok 4 and Grok 4.5 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.

Where can I run Grok 4 and Grok 4.5?

Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, Replicate API, and xAI Console. Grok 4.5 is available on xAI Console, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.

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Last reviewed: 2026-07-09. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.

Both models

Grok 4 Grok 4.5