Grok 4 vs Llama 4 Maverick 17B
Grok 4 (2025) and Llama 4 Maverick 17B (2025) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and AI at Meta. Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window, while Llama 4 Maverick 17B ships a 128k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, Grok 4 leads by 64.0 pts. On pricing, Llama 4 Maverick 17B costs $0.24/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama 4 Maverick 17B is ~421% cheaper at $0.24/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Maverick 17B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 256k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.97/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Aider Polyglot leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4 leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Aider Polyglot by 64.0 points.
- Grok 4 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Grok 4 uniquely exposes Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.97/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Maverick 17B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Grok 4
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route: xAI Console
Llama 4 Maverick 17B
$435
Cheapest tracked route: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $1,191. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Grok 4 and Llama 4 Maverick 17B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B is $1.53/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 4 Maverick 17B and Grok 4; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Grok 4 is $1.53/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4 adds Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-09 | 2025-10-01 |
| Context window | 256k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | 17 |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Maverick 17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.24/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.97/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Maverick 17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Maverick 17B |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 79.6 | 15.6 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Aider Polyglot has Grok 4 at 79.6 and Llama 4 Maverick 17B at 15.6, with Grok 4 ahead by 64.0 points. The largest visible gap is 64.0 points on Aider Polyglot, 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, reasoning mode: Grok 4, function calling: Grok 4, and tool use: Grok 4. Both models share multimodal input, structured outputs, and code execution, 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 $2.5/1M output tokens, while Llama 4 Maverick 17B lists $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 4 Maverick 17B lower by about $1.17 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B when coding workflow support 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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B?
Grok 4 supports 256k tokens, while Llama 4 Maverick 17B supports 128k 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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 4 costs $1.25/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens. Llama 4 Maverick 17B costs $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 4 or Llama 4 Maverick 17B open source?
Grok 4 is listed under Proprietary. Llama 4 Maverick 17B is listed under Open Source. 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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B?
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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B?
Both Grok 4 and Llama 4 Maverick 17B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Grok 4 and Llama 4 Maverick 17B?
Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, Replicate API, and xAI Console. Llama 4 Maverick 17B is available on AWS Bedrock. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.