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Gemini 3 Flash vs Grok-4.1 Thinking

Comparing Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Google · xAI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.

On price, Gemini 3 Flash is roughly 5.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemini 3 Flash

  • cost matters — it's about 5.3x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

Choose Grok-4.1 Thinking

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemini 3 Flash
Google
Grok-4.1 Thinking
xAI
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$0.50 / M
$3.00 / M
Output price
$3.00 / M
$15.00 / M
Context window
1,000,000
256,000
Released
Dec 2025
Nov 2025
License
Proprietary
Proprietary

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinkingdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 3 Flash costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking is more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
Best providerGoogle
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3 Flash accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. Gemini 3 Flash can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Thinking is limited to 8,000 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input256,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 3 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Gemini 3 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3 Flash was released on 2025-12-17, while Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17.

Gemini 3 Flash is 1 month newer than Grok-4.1 Thinking.

Gemini 3 Flash

Dec 17, 2025

8 months ago

1mo newer
Grok-4.1 Thinking

Nov 17, 2025

9 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Grok-4.1 Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3 Flash's training data extends to 2025-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-4.1 Thinking's cutoff date.

Gemini 3 Flash

Jan 2025

Grok-4.1 Thinking

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3 Flash is available from Google. Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI.

Gemini 3 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M

Grok-4.1 Thinking

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3 Flash
✓ Preferred
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3 Flash vs Grok-4.1 Thinking.

Which is better, Gemini 3 Flash or Grok-4.1 Thinking?

Gemini 3 Flash (Google) and Grok-4.1 Thinking (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Gemini 3 Flash compare to Grok-4.1 Thinking in benchmarks?

Gemini 3 Flash scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2025: 99.7%, Global PIQA: 92.8%, MMMLU: 91.8%, GPQA: 90.4%. Grok-4.1 Thinking scores Creative Writing v3: 86.1%, WMDP: 84.0%, EQ-Bench: 79.3%, ProtocolQA: 79.0%, LMArena Text Leaderboard: 74.2%.

Is Gemini 3 Flash cheaper than Grok-4.1 Thinking?

Gemini 3 Flash is 6.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/M output via google. Grok-4.1 Thinking costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via xai.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking?

Gemini 3 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Grok-4.1 Thinking supports 256K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 256K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $3.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3 Flash and Grok-4.1 Thinking?

Gemini 3 Flash is developed by Google and Grok-4.1 Thinking is developed by xAI.

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