Model Comparison
Claude 3 Opus vs Grok 4.5Which is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok 4.5 is 10.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude 3 Opus vs Grok 4.5 — which is better?
Claude 3 Opus (by Anthropic) and Grok 4.5 (by xAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok 4.5 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Grok 4.5 is roughly 10.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.5 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude 3 Opus if…
- you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output
Choose Grok 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 10.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok 4.5 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens) is 7.5x more expensive than Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus is more expensive than Grok 4.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Claude 3 Opus's 200,000 tokens. Only Claude 3 Opus specifies output context (200,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude 3 Opus and Grok 4.5 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude 3 Opus
Grok 4.5
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3 Opus was released on 2024-02-29, while Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16.
Grok 4.5 is 29 months newer than Claude 3 Opus.
Feb 29, 2024
2.4 years ago
Jul 16, 2026
2 days ago
2.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Claude 3 Opus's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude 3 Opus's cutoff date.
—
Feb 2026
Provider Availability
Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Grok 4.5 is available from xAI.
Claude 3 Opus
Grok 4.5
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude 3 Opus
View detailsAnthropic
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Opus and Grok 4.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Opus vs Grok 4.5.