GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Grok-3
Grok-3 leads the LLM Stats Score 30.8 to -8.8. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 8.0x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-3 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 30.8 to -8.8, ranking #104 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-3 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, GPT-3.5 Turbo is roughly 8.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok-3 also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo
- cost matters — it's about 8.0x cheaper per token
Choose Grok-3
- overall performance matters — it scores 30.8 and ranks #104 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
8 reported for GPT-3.5 Turbo · 5 for Grok-3
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-3 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU).
Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 10.0x cheaper than Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-3 is more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok-3 accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Grok-3 can generate longer responses up to 8,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok-3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.
Grok-3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Grok-3
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
GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17.
Grok-3 is 23 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Mar 21, 2023
3.4 years ago
Feb 17, 2025
1.5 years ago
1.9yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Grok-3 has a cutoff of 2024-11-17.
Grok-3 has more recent training data (up to 2024-11-17), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).
Sep 2021
Nov 2024
3.2 yr newerProvider Availability
GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. Grok-3 is available from xAI.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Grok-3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-3.5 Turbo and Grok-3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Grok-3.