Model Comparison

Grok-3 Mini vs o4-miniWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is 5.5x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-3 Mini vs o4-mini — which is better?

Grok-3 Mini (by xAI) and o4-mini (by OpenAI) 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 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while o4-mini is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025). Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 5.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o4-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 5.5x cheaper per token

Choose o4-mini if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Grok-3 Mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while o4-mini is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sun Jun 07 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 3.7x cheaper than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 8.8x cheaper than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o4-mini is more expensive than Grok-3 Mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerxAI
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o4-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. o4-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while Grok-3 Mini is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-3 Mini and o4-mini support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-3 Mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

o4-mini

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

o4-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.

o4-mini is 2 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.3 years ago

o4-mini

Apr 16, 2025

1.1 years ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while o4-mini has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.

Grok-3 Mini has more recent training data (up to 2024-11-17), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to o4-mini (2024-05-31).

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

6 mo newer
o4-mini

May 2024

Provider Availability

Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.

Grok-3 Mini

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

o4-mini

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

xAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher AIME 2024 score (95.8% vs 93.4%)
Higher GPQA score (84.0% vs 81.4%)
OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Higher AIME 2025 score (92.7% vs 90.8%)
xAIGrok-3 Mini
OpenAIo4-mini
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
OpenAI
o4-mini

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs o4-mini.

Which is better, Grok-3 Mini or o4-mini?

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is made by xAI and o4-mini is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-3 Mini compare to o4-mini in benchmarks?

Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%. o4-mini scores AIME 2024: 93.4%, AIME 2025: 92.7%, MathVista: 84.3%, MMMU: 81.6%, GPQA: 81.4%.

Is Grok-3 Mini cheaper than o4-mini?

Grok-3 Mini is 3.7x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-3 Mini costs $0.30/M input and $0.50/M output via xai. o4-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 Mini and o4-mini?

Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens and o4-mini supports 200K 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 o4-mini?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $1.10/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-3 Mini and o4-mini?

Grok-3 Mini is developed by xAI and o4-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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