Model Comparison

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

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

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

Grok-2 (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 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Reasoning is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 if…

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

Choose Phi 4 Reasoning if…

  • 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 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Reasoning is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok-2 specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Grok-2 specifies output context (8,000 tokens).

xAI
Grok-2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi 4 Reasoning
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-2 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi 4 Reasoning 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 Reasoning

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 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

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi 4 Reasoning

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 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.

Grok-2

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'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's cutoff date.

Grok-2

—

Phi 4 Reasoning

Mar 2025

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher MMLU-Pro score (75.5% vs 74.3%)
Microsoft
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (65.8% vs 56.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

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

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 vs Phi 4 Reasoning.

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

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Grok-2 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 compare to Phi 4 Reasoning in benchmarks?

Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%. Phi 4 Reasoning scores FlenQA: 97.7%, HumanEval+: 92.9%, IFEval: 83.4%, OmniMath: 76.6%, AIME 2024: 75.3%.

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

Grok-2 supports 128K tokens and Phi 4 Reasoning supports an unknown number of 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 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 and Phi 4 Reasoning?

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

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