Grok 4.6 vs o3
Comparing Grok 4.6 and o3 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
xAI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok 4.6 and o3 trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.
On price, Grok 4.6 is roughly 1.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.6 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok 4.6
- cost matters — it's about 1.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose o3
- you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $8.00/M output
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.6 and o3don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.6 ($2.00/1M tokens) costs the same as o3 ($2.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.6 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than o3 ($8.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, o3 is more expensive than Grok 4.6.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.6 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to o3's 200,000 tokens. Only o3 specifies output context (100,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.6 and o3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.6
o3
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok 4.6 was released on 2026-08-12, while o3 was released on 2025-04-16.
Grok 4.6 is 16 months newer than o3.
Aug 12, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.3yr newerApr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.6 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while o3 has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.
Grok 4.6 has more recent training data (up to 2026-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to o3 (2024-05-31).
Feb 2026
1.8 yr newerMay 2024
Provider Availability
Grok 4.6 is available from xAI. o3 is available from OpenAI.
Grok 4.6
o3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.6 and o3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.6 vs o3.