Grok-4.1 Thinking vs MiniMax M1 80K
Grok-4.1 Thinking and MiniMax M1 80K are closely matched at 16.0 and 21.4 on the LLM Stats Score. MiniMax M1 80K is 6.2x cheaper per token.
xAI · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-4.1 Thinking and MiniMax M1 80K are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 16.0 and 21.4.
On price, MiniMax M1 80K is roughly 6.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M1 80K 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-4.1 Thinking
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose MiniMax M1 80K
- cost matters — it's about 6.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Grok-4.1 Thinking · 16 for MiniMax M1 80K
Grok-4.1 Thinking and MiniMax M1 80Kdon'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-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.5x more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K ($0.55/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens) is 6.8x more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K ($2.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking is more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M1 80K accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. MiniMax M1 80K can generate longer responses up to 40,000 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Thinking is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok-4.1 Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M1 80K does not.
Grok-4.1 Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Grok-4.1 Thinking
MiniMax M1 80K
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok-4.1 Thinking is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M1 80K uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17, while MiniMax M1 80K was released on 2025-06-16.
Grok-4.1 Thinking is 5 months newer than MiniMax M1 80K.
Nov 17, 2025
10 months ago
5mo newerJun 16, 2025
1.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI. MiniMax M1 80K is available from Novita.
Grok-4.1 Thinking
MiniMax M1 80K
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-4.1 Thinking and MiniMax M1 80K side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-4.1 Thinking vs MiniMax M1 80K.