Model Comparison

Grok-3 Mini vs Grok 4.5Which is better in 2026?

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is 8.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-3 Mini vs Grok 4.5 — which is better?

Grok-3 Mini (by xAI) and Grok 4.5 (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.

Grok-3 Mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok 4.5 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 8.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Grok 4.5 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • cost matters — it's about 8.6x cheaper per token

Choose Grok 4.5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Grok-3 Mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok 4.5 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

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 6.7x cheaper than Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 12.0x cheaper than Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok 4.5 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 4.5
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerxAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. Only Grok-3 Mini specifies output context (8,000 tokens).

xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
xAI
Grok 4.5
Input500,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4.5 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 4.5

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 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16.

Grok 4.5 is 17 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

Grok 4.5

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1.4yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Grok 4.5 has a cutoff of 2026-02-01.

Grok 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2026-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Grok-3 Mini (2024-11-17).

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

Grok 4.5

Feb 2026

1.3 yr newer

Provider Availability

Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. Grok 4.5 is available from xAI.

Grok-3 Mini

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

Grok 4.5

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M
* 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 (500,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (93.0% vs 84.0%)
xAIGrok-3 Mini
xAIGrok 4.5
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-3 Mini
✓ Preferred
Grok 4.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
xAI
Grok 4.5

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs Grok 4.5.

Which is better, Grok-3 Mini or Grok 4.5?

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is made by xAI and Grok 4.5 is made by xAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-3 Mini compare to Grok 4.5 in benchmarks?

Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%. Grok 4.5 scores GPQA: 93.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 83.3%, Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index v1.1: 76.0%, SWE-Bench Pro: 64.7%, AA-Omniscience Index: 63.0%.

Is Grok-3 Mini cheaper than Grok 4.5?

Grok-3 Mini is 6.7x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-3 Mini costs $0.30/M input and $0.50/M output via xai. Grok 4.5 costs $2.00/M input and $6.00/M output via xai.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 Mini and Grok 4.5?

Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens and Grok 4.5 supports 500K 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 4.5?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 500K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $2.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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