Model Comparison

Grok 4.5 vs Pixtral-12BWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Pixtral-12B — which is better?

Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Pixtral-12B (by Mistral AI) 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, Pixtral-12B is roughly 20.0x 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 Pixtral-12B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 20.0x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12Bdon'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

Pixtral-12B costs less

For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 13.3x more expensive than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 40.0x more expensive than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Pixtral-12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok 4.5
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerxAI
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerMistral
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 Pixtral-12B's 128,000 tokens. Only Pixtral-12B specifies output context (8,192 tokens).

xAI
Grok 4.5
Input500,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Pixtral-12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Pixtral-12B uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Pixtral-12B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.

Grok 4.5 is 22 months newer than Pixtral-12B.

Grok 4.5

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1.8yr newer
Pixtral-12B

Sep 17, 2024

1.8 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Pixtral-12B'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 Pixtral-12B's cutoff date.

Grok 4.5

Feb 2026

Pixtral-12B

—

Provider Availability

Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Pixtral-12B is available from Mistral AI.

Grok 4.5

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M

Pixtral-12B

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (500,000 tokens)
Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok 4.5
✓ Preferred
Pixtral-12B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok 4.5
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B

FAQ

Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Pixtral-12B.

Which is better, Grok 4.5 or Pixtral-12B?

Grok 4.5 (xAI) and Pixtral-12B (Mistral AI) 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 4.5 compare to Pixtral-12B in benchmarks?

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%. Pixtral-12B scores DocVQA: 90.7%, ChartQA: 81.8%, VQAv2: 78.6%, MT-Bench: 76.8%, HumanEval: 72.0%.

Is Grok 4.5 cheaper than Pixtral-12B?

Pixtral-12B is 13.3x cheaper for input tokens. Grok 4.5 costs $2.00/M input and $6.00/M output via xai. Pixtral-12B costs $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B?

Grok 4.5 supports 500K tokens and Pixtral-12B supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B?

Key differences include context window (500K vs 128K), input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.15/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok 4.5 and Pixtral-12B?

Grok 4.5 is developed by xAI and Pixtral-12B is developed by Mistral AI.

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