Grok-3 Mini vs Grok 4 Fast
Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4 Fast are closely matched at 31.6 and 32.0 on the LLM Stats Score. Grok 4 Fast is 1.3x cheaper per token.
xAI · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4 Fast are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 31.6 and 32.0.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok 4 Fast wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Grok 4 Fast is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4 Fast also accepts a larger context window (2,000,000 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-3 Mini
- you want predictable pricing at $0.30/M input and $0.50/M output
Choose Grok 4 Fast
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 2,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for Grok-3 Mini · 7 for Grok 4 Fast
Grok-3 Mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (LiveCodeBench), while Grok 4 Fast is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA).
Grok 4 Fast shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.30/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Grok 4 Fast ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) costs the same as Grok 4 Fast ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-3 Mini is more expensive than Grok 4 Fast.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4 Fast accepts 2,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. Grok 4 Fast can generate longer responses up to 30,000 tokens, while Grok-3 Mini is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4 Fast support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-3 Mini
Grok 4 Fast
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-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while Grok 4 Fast was released on 2025-08-28.
Grok 4 Fast is 6 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.
Feb 17, 2025
1.5 years ago
Aug 28, 2025
1.0 years ago
6mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Grok 4 Fast'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 4 Fast's cutoff date.
Nov 2024
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Provider Availability
Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. Grok 4 Fast is available from xAI.
Grok-3 Mini
Grok 4 Fast
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4 Fast side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs Grok 4 Fast.