Model Comparison

Grok-3 Mini vs o4-mini

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

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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.

Sat May 16 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
Sat May 16 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
Sat May 16 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

1.2 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.