Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs Phi-4-multimodal-instructWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing Grok 4.5 and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (by Microsoft) 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, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is roughly 48.0x 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 4.5 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Phi-4-multimodal-instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 48.0x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 and Phi-4-multimodal-instructdon'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
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 40.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 60.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.*
* 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 Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's 128,000 tokens. Only Phi-4-multimodal-instruct specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.5 and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.5
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct 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 Phi-4-multimodal-instruct was released on 2025-02-01.
Grok 4.5 is 18 months newer than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.
Jul 16, 2026
3 days ago
1.5yr newerFeb 1, 2025
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has a cutoff of 2024-06-01.
Grok 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2026-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (2024-06-01).
Feb 2026
1.7 yr newerJun 2024
Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Grok 4.5
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.