Grok-3 Mini vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax M3.1 Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 48.5 to 31.1. MiniMax M3.1 Flash is 1.3x cheaper per token.
xAI · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash leads the overall LLM Stats Score 48.5 to 31.1, ranking #29 overall.
On price, MiniMax M3.1 Flash is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M3.1 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 MiniMax M3.1 Flash
- overall performance matters — it scores 48.5 and ranks #29 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Oct 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for Grok-3 Mini · 14 for MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Grok-3 Mini and MiniMax M3.1 Flashdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
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 2.0x more expensive than MiniMax M3.1 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 1.2x cheaper than MiniMax M3.1 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-3 Mini is more expensive than MiniMax M3.1 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M3.1 Flash accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. MiniMax M3.1 Flash can generate longer responses up to 524,288 tokens, while Grok-3 Mini is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-3 Mini and MiniMax M3.1 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-3 Mini
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
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 MiniMax M3.1 Flash was released on 2026-10-19.
MiniMax M3.1 Flash is 20 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.
Feb 17, 2025
1.7 years ago
Oct 19, 2026
-2 days ago
1.7yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while MiniMax M3.1 Flash'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 MiniMax M3.1 Flash's cutoff date.
Nov 2024
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Provider Availability
Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. MiniMax M3.1 Flash is available from MiniMax.
Grok-3 Mini
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and MiniMax M3.1 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash.