Model Comparison

Grok-3 vs GPT-3.5 TurboWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-3.5 Turbo is 8.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-3 vs GPT-3.5 Turbo — which is better?

Grok-3 (by xAI) and GPT-3.5 Turbo (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 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU), while GPT-3.5 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GPT-3.5 Turbo is roughly 8.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Grok-3 also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-3 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025

Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…

  • cost matters — it's about 8.0x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Grok-3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU), while GPT-3.5 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 01 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GPT-3.5 Turbo costs less

For input processing, Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-3 is more expensive than GPT-3.5 Turbo.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 01 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Grok-3 accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Grok-3 can generate longer responses up to 8,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.

xAI
Grok-3
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
Wed Jul 01 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.

Grok-3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Grok-3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-3.5 Turbo

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

Proprietary

Closed source

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17, while GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21.

Grok-3 is 23 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

Grok-3

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

1.9yr newer
GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while GPT-3.5 Turbo has a cutoff of 2021-09-30.

Grok-3 has more recent training data (up to 2024-11-17), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).

Grok-3

Nov 2024

3.2 yr newer
GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

Provider Availability

Grok-3 is available from xAI. GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI.

Grok-3

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

GPT-3.5 Turbo

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (84.6% vs 30.8%)
Higher MMMU score (78.0% vs 0.0%)
OpenAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
xAIGrok-3
OpenAIGPT-3.5 Turbo
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-3 and GPT-3.5 Turbo side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-3
✓ Preferred
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 vs GPT-3.5 Turbo.

Which is better, Grok-3 or GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 is made by xAI and GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-3 compare to GPT-3.5 Turbo in benchmarks?

Grok-3 scores AIME 2024: 93.3%, AIME 2025: 93.3%, GPQA: 84.6%, LiveCodeBench: 79.4%, MMMU: 78.0%. GPT-3.5 Turbo scores DROP: 70.2%, MMLU: 69.8%, HumanEval: 68.0%, MGSM: 56.3%, MATH: 43.1%.

Is Grok-3 cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is 6.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via xai. GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Grok-3 supports 128K tokens and GPT-3.5 Turbo supports 16K 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 and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 16K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.50/M), multimodal support (yes vs no). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-3 and GPT-3.5 Turbo?

Grok-3 is developed by xAI and GPT-3.5 Turbo is developed by OpenAI.

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