Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs MiniMax M3Which is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M3 is 5.7x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs MiniMax M3 — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and MiniMax M3 (by MiniMax) 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 3 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while MiniMax M3 is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, MiniMax M3 is roughly 5.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M3 also accepts a larger context window (512,000 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 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose MiniMax M3 if…
- cost matters — it's about 5.7x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 512,000 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while MiniMax M3 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 MiniMax M3 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than MiniMax M3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M3 accepts 512,000 input tokens compared to Grok 4.5's 500,000 tokens. Only MiniMax M3 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.5 and MiniMax M3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.5
MiniMax M3
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M3 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 MiniMax M3 was released on 2026-06-01.
Grok 4.5 is 2 months newer than MiniMax M3.
Jul 16, 2026
5 days ago
1mo newerJun 1, 2026
1 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while MiniMax M3'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 MiniMax M3's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. MiniMax M3 is available from Fireworks, Novita, Together, MiniMax.
Grok 4.5
MiniMax M3
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
MiniMax M3
View detailsMiniMax
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and MiniMax M3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs MiniMax M3.