Model Comparison

Grok-2 vs Phi 4Which is better in 2026?

Grok-2 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Phi 4 is 45.7x cheaper per token.

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

Grok-2 (by xAI) and Phi 4 (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 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (HumanEval, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH). Grok-2 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Phi 4 is roughly 45.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Grok-2 also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-2 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window

Choose Phi 4 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 45.7x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Grok-2 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (HumanEval, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH).

Grok-2 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi 4 costs less

For input processing, Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 28.6x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 71.4x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than Phi 4.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-2
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerxAI
Microsoft
Phi 4
Input tokens$0.07
Output tokens$0.14
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Grok-2 accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,000 tokens. Phi 4 can generate longer responses up to 16,000 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi 4
Input16,000 tokens
Output16,000 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

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

Grok-2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

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

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

Grok-2

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi 4

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13, while Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12.

Phi 4 is 4 months newer than Grok-2.

Grok-2

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Phi 4

Dec 12, 2024

1.6 years ago

4mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi 4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Grok-2's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi 4's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2's cutoff date.

Grok-2

—

Phi 4

Jun 2024

Provider Availability

Grok-2 is available from xAI. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.

Grok-2

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

Phi 4

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.07/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.14/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher HumanEval score (88.4% vs 82.6%)
Higher MMLU score (87.5% vs 84.8%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (75.5% vs 70.4%)
Microsoft
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (56.1% vs 56.0%)
Higher MATH score (80.4% vs 76.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

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

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 vs Phi 4.

Which is better, Grok-2 or Phi 4?

Grok-2 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Grok-2 is made by xAI and Phi 4 is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

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

Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%. Phi 4 scores MMLU: 84.8%, HumanEval+: 82.8%, HumanEval: 82.6%, MGSM: 80.6%, MATH: 80.4%.

Is Grok-2 cheaper than Phi 4?

Phi 4 is 28.6x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-2 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via xai. Phi 4 costs $0.07/M input and $0.14/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 and Phi 4?

Grok-2 supports 128K tokens and Phi 4 supports 16K 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 Phi 4?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 16K), input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.07/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 and Phi 4?

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

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