Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Grok 4.6 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,592 vs 1,398), while Grok 4.6 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (69.1%), while Qwen3.8 27B is more budget-friendly at $0.4/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
xAI Aug 12 2026 post-training refresh of Grok 4.5. Same $2/$6 API price, 500k context, stronger agentic traces.
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop dated Aug 14 2026. Dense enough to self-host; not a frontier MoE.
Currently comparing Grok 4.6 vs Qwen3.8 27B. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 194 Arena Elo pts
152 tok/s
$0.4 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Grok 4.6 | Qwen3.8 27B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +194 | ||
| Coding Elo | +146 | ||
| LiveBench | +10.8% | ||
| SWE-bench | +10.3% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +11.2% | ||
| Time to first token | +55 ms | ||
| Output speed | 118 tok/s | 152 tok/s | +34 tok/s |
| Input price | +$1.9/1M | ||
| Output price | +$5.6/1M | ||
| Context window | +369k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen3.8 27B is estimated to save $150.50/month ($1,806/year).
Higher SWE-bench (69.1%).
Lower output list price ($0.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (140 ms).
Larger window (500k).
Grok 4.6 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Grok 4.6 | Higher SWE-bench (69.1%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower output list price ($0.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower TTFT (140 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Grok 4.6 | Larger window (500k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Grok 4.6 | Grok 4.6 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop. Local/open-weight lists should see it. It will not win frontier-agents.
Brand hub remaps to top xAI vs top OpenAI. After Aug 12 that is Grok 4.6 vs Sol.
xAI’s Aug 12 2026 refresh of Grok 4.5. 500k context. The Grok vs ChatGPT hub remaps here.
2025-07 row. 4.6 is the buy. We keep 4 so upgrade pairs and old inbound links resolve.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
launch · Aug 14, 2026
Qwen3.8 27B (Aug 14): dense enough to self-host, not a frontier MoE
compare · Aug 12, 2026
Grok vs ChatGPT: price and Elo, not a personality contest
launch · Aug 12, 2026
Grok 4.6 (Aug 12): post-training refresh, same $2/$6 list
launch · Jul 10, 2025
Grok 4 remains the previous xAI flagship on this catalog