Grok 4 vs Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
Grok 4 (2025) and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and AI at Meta. Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window, while Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok 4 leads by 12.7 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is ~1462% cheaper at $0.08/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 256k | 10m |
| Cheapest output | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 12 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 3 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 12.7 points.
- Grok 4 uniquely exposes Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct 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
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,486. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is $2.20/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, JSON / JSON / Tool use, and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4 is $2.20/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4 adds Reasoning, JSON / JSON / Tool use, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-09 | 2025-04-05 |
| Context window | 256k | 10m |
| Parameters | — | 109B (17B active) |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | Llama 4 Community |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Weights | Not released | Unknown |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.08/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok 4 | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 87.0 | 74.3 |
| LiveCodeBench | 79.0 | 32.8 |
| τ-bench | 78.9 | 62.3 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.