Model Comparison

Grok-3 Mini vs Grok-4.1Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-3 Mini vs Grok-4.1 — which is better?

Grok-3 Mini (by xAI) and Grok-4.1 (by xAI) 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.

On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 17.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Grok-4.1 also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • cost matters — it's about 17.1x cheaper per token

Choose Grok-4.1 if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Grok-3 Mini costs less

For input processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.30/1M tokens) is 10.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 30.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-4.1 is more expensive than Grok-3 Mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerxAI
xAI
Grok-4.1
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Grok-4.1 accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
xAI
Grok-4.1
Input256,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Grok-3 Mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-4.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Grok-3 Mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Grok-4.1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while Grok-4.1 was released on 2025-11-17.

Grok-4.1 is 9 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

Grok-4.1

Nov 17, 2025

8 months ago

9mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Grok-4.1'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-4.1's cutoff date.

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

Grok-4.1

—

Provider Availability

Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. Grok-4.1 is available from xAI.

Grok-3 Mini

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M

Grok-4.1

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
xAI
Larger context window (256,000 tokens)
xAIGrok-3 Mini
xAIGrok-4.1
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-3 Mini
✓ Preferred
Grok-4.1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
xAI
Grok-4.1

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs Grok-4.1.

Which is better, Grok-3 Mini or Grok-4.1?

Grok-3 Mini (xAI) and Grok-4.1 (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Grok-3 Mini compare to Grok-4.1 in benchmarks?

Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%. Grok-4.1 scores FActScore: 97.0%, Creative Writing v3: 85.4%, EQ-Bench: 79.3%, LMArena Text Leaderboard: 73.3%.

Is Grok-3 Mini cheaper than Grok-4.1?

Grok-3 Mini is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-3 Mini costs $0.30/M input and $0.50/M output via xai. Grok-4.1 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via xai.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1?

Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens and Grok-4.1 supports 256K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-3 Mini and Grok-4.1?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 256K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $3.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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