Grok-2 vs Phi 4
Grok-2 leads the LLM Stats Score 11.4 to 5.4. Phi 4 is 45.7x cheaper per token.
xAI · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-2 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 11.4 to 5.4, ranking #258 overall.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-2 wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
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.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok-2
- overall performance matters — it scores 11.4 and ranks #258 on LLM Stats
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 5 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
Choose Phi 4
- 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
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 · 13 for Phi 4
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.
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 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
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok-2 accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,384 tokens. Phi 4 can generate longer responses up to 16,384 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
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
Phi 4
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.
Proprietary
Closed source
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.
Aug 13, 2024
2.1 years ago
Dec 12, 2024
1.8 years ago
4mo newerKnowledge 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.
—
Jun 2024
Provider Availability
Grok-2 is available from xAI. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.
Grok-2
Phi 4
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-2 and Phi 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-2 vs Phi 4.