Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601Which is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is 5.7x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 (by Meituan) 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 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is roughly 5.7x 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 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 if…
- cost matters — it's about 5.7x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 6.7x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601's 128,000 tokens. Only LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 does not.
Grok 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Grok 4.5
LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 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 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 was released on 2026-01-14.
Grok 4.5 is 6 months newer than LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601.
Jul 16, 2026
1 weeks ago
6mo newerJan 14, 2026
6 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601'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 LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 is available from Meituan.
Grok 4.5
LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs LongCat-Flash-Thinking-2601.