Grok Code Fast 1 vs o4-mini
Grok Code Fast 1 (2025) and o4-mini (2025) are agentic coding models from xAI and OpenAI. Grok Code Fast 1 ships a 262K-token context window, while o4-mini ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On SWE-bench Verified, Grok Code Fast 1 leads by 2.7 pts. On pricing, Grok Code Fast 1 costs $0.2/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Grok Code Fast 1 is ~150% cheaper at $0.2/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2025-08-27 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 262K | — |
| Parameters | 314B | — |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2025-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Grok Code Fast 1 | o4-mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.2/1M tokens | $0.5/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.5/1M tokens | $2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Grok Code Fast 1 | o4-mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok Code Fast 1 | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 70.8 | 68.1 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, SWE-bench Verified has Grok Code Fast 1 at 70.8 and o4-mini at 68.1, with Grok Code Fast 1 ahead by 2.7 points. The largest visible gap is 2.7 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: o4-mini, multimodal input: o4-mini, reasoning mode: o4-mini, and code execution: o4-mini. Both models share function calling, tool use, and 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 Code Fast 1 lists $0.2/1M input and $1.5/1M output tokens, while o4-mini lists $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok Code Fast 1 lower by about $0.36 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok Code Fast 1 when coding workflow support and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose o4-mini when coding workflow support 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 is cheaper, Grok Code Fast 1 or o4-mini?
Grok Code Fast 1 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok Code Fast 1 costs $0.2/1M input and $1.5/1M output tokens. o4-mini costs $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok Code Fast 1 or o4-mini open source?
Grok Code Fast 1 is listed under Proprietary. o4-mini 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 Code Fast 1 or o4-mini?
o4-mini 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 Code Fast 1 or o4-mini?
o4-mini 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.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Grok Code Fast 1 or o4-mini?
o4-mini has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Grok Code Fast 1 and o4-mini?
Grok Code Fast 1 is available on OpenRouter. o4-mini is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, OpenAI Batch API, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.