Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Phi 4 ReasoningWhich is better in 2026?

Phi 4 Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Phi 4 Reasoning — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) and Phi 4 Reasoning (by Microsoft) 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.

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Reasoning is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro). Phi 4 Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Phi 4 Reasoning if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Reasoning is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro).

Phi 4 Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-2 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi 4 Reasoning does not.

Grok-2 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi 4 Reasoning

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi 4 Reasoning uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi 4 Reasoning

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Phi 4 Reasoning was released on 2025-04-30.

Phi 4 Reasoning is 9 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

2.0 years ago

Phi 4 Reasoning

Apr 30, 2025

1.2 years ago

8mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi 4 Reasoning has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-01, while Grok-2 mini's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi 4 Reasoning's training data extends to 2025-03-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2 mini's cutoff date.

Grok-2 mini

—

Phi 4 Reasoning

Mar 2025

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Microsoft
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (65.8% vs 51.0%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (74.3% vs 72.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Phi 4 Reasoning side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Reasoning
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Microsoft
Phi 4 Reasoning

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Phi 4 Reasoning.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Phi 4 Reasoning?

Phi 4 Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Phi 4 Reasoning is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 mini compare to Phi 4 Reasoning in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Phi 4 Reasoning scores FlenQA: 97.7%, HumanEval+: 92.9%, IFEval: 83.4%, OmniMath: 76.6%, AIME 2024: 75.3%.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 mini and Phi 4 Reasoning?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Phi 4 Reasoning?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Phi 4 Reasoning is developed by Microsoft.

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