Grok-2 vs o4-mini
o4-mini leads the LLM Stats Score 27.6 to 11.5. o4-mini is 2.1x cheaper per token.
xAI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
o4-mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 27.6 to 11.5, ranking #141 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, o4-mini wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, o4-mini is roughly 2.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
o4-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 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 Grok-2
- you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output
Choose o4-mini
- overall performance matters — it scores 27.6 and ranks #141 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 3 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 2.1x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 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 Grok-2 · 14 for o4-mini
Grok-2 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o4-mini is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MathVista, MMMU).
o4-mini 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, Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 1.8x more expensive than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 2.3x more expensive than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than o4-mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
o4-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Grok-2's 128,000 tokens. o4-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-2 and o4-mini support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-2
o4-mini
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
Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.
o4-mini is 8 months newer than Grok-2.
Aug 13, 2024
2.1 years ago
Apr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
8mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
o4-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Grok-2's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm o4-mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2's cutoff date.
—
May 2024
Provider Availability
Grok-2 is available from xAI. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.
Grok-2
o4-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-2 and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-2 vs o4-mini.