Model Comparison

Grok-2 vs Grok-3 MiniWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-3 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is 11.4x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-2 vs Grok-3 Mini — which is better?

Grok-2 (by xAI) and Grok-3 Mini (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.

Grok-2 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-3 Mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Grok-3 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 11.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Grok-2 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 11.4x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Grok-2 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-3 Mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Grok-3 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Grok-3 Mini costs less

For input processing, Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 6.7x more expensive than Grok-3 Mini ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than Grok-3 Mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-2
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerxAI
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerxAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Fri Jul 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-2 and Grok-3 Mini support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-3 Mini

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.

Grok-2

Proprietary

Closed source

Grok-3 Mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13, while Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17.

Grok-3 Mini is 6 months newer than Grok-2.

Grok-2

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

6mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Grok-2's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok-3 Mini's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2's cutoff date.

Grok-2

—

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

Grok-2 is available from xAI. Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI.

Grok-2

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

Grok-3 Mini

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

xAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (84.0% vs 56.0%)
xAIGrok-2
xAIGrok-3 Mini
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 and Grok-3 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2
✓ Preferred
Grok-3 Mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2
xAI
Grok-3 Mini

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 vs Grok-3 Mini.

Which is better, Grok-2 or Grok-3 Mini?

Grok-3 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 is made by xAI and Grok-3 Mini is made by xAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 compare to Grok-3 Mini in benchmarks?

Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%. Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%.

Is Grok-2 cheaper than Grok-3 Mini?

Grok-3 Mini is 6.7x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-2 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via xai. Grok-3 Mini costs $0.30/M input and $0.50/M output via xai.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 and Grok-3 Mini?

Grok-2 supports 128K tokens and Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 and Grok-3 Mini?

Key differences include input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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