Grok 4 vs Hunyuan Hy3 Preview
Grok 4 (2025) and Hunyuan Hy3 Preview (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from xAI and Tencent AI Lab. Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window, while Hunyuan Hy3 Preview ships a 262k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, Grok 4 leads by 2.3 pts. On pricing, Hunyuan Hy3 Preview costs $0.07/1M 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.
Hunyuan Hy3 Preview is ~1794% cheaper at $0.07/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4 | Hunyuan Hy3 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 256k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.26/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | SWE-bench Verified leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4 holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 2.3 points.
- Grok 4 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Grok 4 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Hunyuan Hy3 Preview has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Hunyuan Hy3 Preview has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.26/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Hunyuan Hy3 Preview 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 4
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console
Hunyuan Hy3 Preview
$118
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,507. 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.
- Hunyuan Hy3 Preview is $2.24/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4 is $2.24/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-09 | 2026-04-22 |
| Context window | 256k | 262k |
| Parameters | — | 295B |
| Architecture | decoder only | dense moe hybrid |
| License | Proprietary | Tencent Hunyuan Community License |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4 | Hunyuan Hy3 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.07/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.26/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4 | Hunyuan Hy3 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok 4 | Hunyuan Hy3 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 76.7 | 74.4 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, SWE-bench Verified has Grok 4 at 76.7 and Hunyuan Hy3 Preview at 74.4, with Grok 4 ahead by 2.3 points. The largest visible gap is 2.3 points on SWE-bench Verified, 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, multimodal input: Grok 4, structured outputs: Grok 4, and code execution: Grok 4. Both models share reasoning mode, function calling, and tool use, 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 Hunyuan Hy3 Preview lists $0.07/1M input and $0.26/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Hunyuan Hy3 Preview lower by about $1.50 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Hunyuan Hy3 Preview when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost 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 Hunyuan Hy3 Preview?
Hunyuan Hy3 Preview supports 262k 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 Hunyuan Hy3 Preview?
Hunyuan Hy3 Preview is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 4 costs $1.25/1M input and $2.50/1M output tokens. Hunyuan Hy3 Preview costs $0.07/1M input and $0.26/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 4 or Hunyuan Hy3 Preview open source?
Grok 4 is listed under Proprietary. Hunyuan Hy3 Preview is listed under Tencent Hunyuan Community License. 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 Hunyuan Hy3 Preview?
Grok 4 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 or Hunyuan Hy3 Preview?
Grok 4 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 and Hunyuan Hy3 Preview?
Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, Replicate API, and xAI Console. Hunyuan Hy3 Preview is available on OpenRouter and Tencent Cloud TI Platform. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-07. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.