Model Comparison

Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Grok 4.5Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Grok 4.5 — which is better?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (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.

On price, Grok 4.5 is roughly 2.0x 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-4.1 Thinking if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output

Choose Grok 4.5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 2.0x cheaper per token
  • 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

No common benchmarks found

Grok-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Grok 4.5 costs less

For input processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking is more expensive than Grok 4.5.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
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-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. Only Grok-4.1 Thinking specifies output context (8,000 tokens).

xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input256,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
xAI
Grok 4.5
Input500,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5 support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-4.1 Thinking

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-4.1 Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Grok 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17, while Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16.

Grok 4.5 is 8 months newer than Grok-4.1 Thinking.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Nov 17, 2025

8 months ago

Grok 4.5

Jul 16, 2026

1 weeks ago

8mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Grok-4.1 Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-4.1 Thinking's cutoff date.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

—

Grok 4.5

Feb 2026

Provider Availability

Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI. Grok 4.5 is available from xAI.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

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

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

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

xAI
Larger context window (500,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-4.1 Thinking
✓ Preferred
Grok 4.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
xAI
Grok 4.5

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Grok 4.5.

Which is better, Grok-4.1 Thinking or Grok 4.5?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (xAI) and Grok 4.5 (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Grok-4.1 Thinking compare to Grok 4.5 in benchmarks?

Grok-4.1 Thinking scores Creative Writing v3: 86.1%, WMDP: 84.0%, EQ-Bench: 79.3%, ProtocolQA: 79.0%, LMArena Text Leaderboard: 74.2%. 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-4.1 Thinking cheaper than Grok 4.5?

Grok 4.5 is 1.5x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-4.1 Thinking costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/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-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5?

Grok-4.1 Thinking supports 256K 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-4.1 Thinking and Grok 4.5?

Key differences include context window (256K vs 500K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $2.00/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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