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© 2026 CompareLLM. Public benchmark data aggregated from Arena Elo, LiveBench, SWE-bench & OpenRouter.

Every score has a dated snapshot.

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  3. Grok 4 vs OpenAI o3-mini

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026

Grok 4 vs OpenAI o3-mini benchmark

In this head-to-head showdown, OpenAI o3-mini delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,560 vs 1,488), while OpenAI o3-mini leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (78.5%), while OpenAI o3-mini is more budget-friendly at $4.4/1M per 1M output tokens, while Grok 4 provides faster response streaming (98 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.

Executive Comparison Verdict

Bottom Line: OpenAI o3-mini holds the advantage over Grok 4 in overall benchmark performance and human evaluation rankings. Choose OpenAI o3-mini for demanding workloads, or review the breakdown below to compare coding and pricing metrics.
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Verified Head-to-Head Advantage Breakdown

9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost

Grok 4 (3)OpenAI o3-mini (6)
Grok 4
3 of 9 Wins
✓Time to first token✓Output speed✓Context window
OpenAI o3-mini
6 of 9 Wins
✓Preference Elo✓LiveBench✓SWE-bench✓GPQA Diamond✓Input price✓Output price
xAI
Leads 3 of 9 metrics
Grok 4

Previous xAI flagship.

Grok 4.0Elo 1,488$15/1M out
OpenAI
Leads 6 of 9 metrics
OpenAI o3-mini

OpenAI cost-efficient reasoning model with adjustable thinking effort and top coding benchmark scores.

o3-miniElo 1,560$4.4/1M out

Grok 4 Series Lineage & Sibling Variants

2 models

Currently comparing Grok 4 vs OpenAI o3-mini. Alternative family tiers available.

Active: Grok 4
Grok 4.6$6

OpenAI o3-mini Thinking Depth & Cost Scaler

Model B

Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost

Mode: Medium (Standard)

Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.

Thinking Delay
290 ms
Standard speed
Reasoning Depth
~1,500
Internal tokens
Cost / 1k Calls
$8.47
4.5× standard bill
Accuracy Boost
+4.5% accuracy
STEM & SWE-bench
Top Rival Showdowns for Grok 4
All Matchups
Compare vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs GPT-5vs Gemini 3 Provs DeepSeek V4 Provs Qwen 3 Max
Preference LeaderOpenAI o3-mini Wins

OpenAI o3-mini

Δ 72 Arena Elo pts

Throughput LeaderGrok 4 Wins

Grok 4

98 tok/s

Value per Dollar LeaderOpenAI o3-mini Wins

OpenAI o3-mini

$4.4 / 1M output

Capability Percentiles

Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Leaders Matchup Capability Radar

Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Head-to-Head Comparison

Overall Matchup Breakdown

Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.

Grok 4 (3)vsOpenAI o3-mini (7)
Grok 4: 3W (30%)Overall: OpenAI o3-miniOpenAI o3-mini: 7W (70%)
← Grok 4OpenAI o3-mini →
🏆OpenAI o3-mini(5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Benchmark
Grok 4vsOpenAI o3-mini
Preference Elo
1,488vs1,560+72
Coding Elo
—vs1,585
SWE-bench
58.6%vs78.5%+19.9%
LiveBench
64.1%vs72.4%+8.3%
GPQA Diamond
79%vs87.2%+8.2%
Grok 4: 0WOpenAI o3-mini: 5W
🏆Grok 4(2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Benchmark
Grok 4vsOpenAI o3-mini
Output speed
98 tok/svs92 tok/s+6 tok/s
Time to first token
230 msvs290 ms+60 ms
Grok 4: 2WOpenAI o3-mini: 0W
🏆OpenAI o3-mini(2/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Benchmark
Grok 4vsOpenAI o3-mini
Output price
$15/1Mvs$4.4/1M+$10.6/1M
Input price
$3/1Mvs$1.1/1M+$1.9/1M
Context window
256kvs200k+56k
Grok 4: 1WOpenAI o3-mini: 2W

Side-by-Side Benchmark Matrix

Preference Elo+72
Grok 41,488
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini1,560
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Coding Elo
Grok 4—
OpenAI o3-mini1,585
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
LiveBench+8.3%
Grok 464.1%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini72.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
SWE-bench+19.9%
Grok 458.6%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini78.5%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
GPQA Diamond+8.2%
Grok 479%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini87.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Time to first token+60 ms
Grok 4230 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini290 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output speed+6 tok/s
Grok 498 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini92 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Input price+$1.9/1M
Grok 4$3/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini$1.1/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output price+$10.6/1M
Grok 4$15/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini$4.4/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Context window+56k
Grok 4256k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
OpenAI o3-mini200k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
BenchmarkGrok 4OpenAI o3-miniAdvantage Delta
Preference Elo
1,488
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
1,560
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+72
Coding Elo—
1,585
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
—
LiveBench
64.1%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
72.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+8.3%
SWE-bench
58.6%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
78.5%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+19.9%
GPQA Diamond
79%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
87.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+8.2%
Time to first token
230 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
290 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+60 ms
Output speed
98 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
92 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+6 tok/s
Input price
$3/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
$1.1/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$1.9/1M
Output price
$15/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
$4.4/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$10.6/1M
Context window
256k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
200k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+56k
Interactive Simulator (USD)

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).

Save up to 68% with OpenAI o3-mini
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
Grok 4$330.00 / mo
In: $105Out: $225
OpenAI o3-mini$104.50 / mo
In: $38.5Out: $66
Estimated Cost Delta

OpenAI o3-mini is estimated to save $225.50/month ($2,706/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    OpenAI o3-mini:Pick OpenAI o3-mini when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    Grok 4:Pick Grok 4 when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.
  • 3
    OpenAI o3-mini:Pick OpenAI o3-mini as the default general assistant.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsOpenAI o3-mini

Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).

High-volume chatOpenAI o3-mini

Lower output list price ($4.4/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGrok 4

Lower TTFT (230 ms).

Long-document RAGGrok 4

Larger window (256k).

Screenshots / visionGrok 4

Grok 4 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsOpenAI o3-miniHigher SWE-bench (78.5%).
High-volume chatOpenAI o3-miniLower output list price ($4.4/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGrok 4Lower TTFT (230 ms).
Long-document RAGGrok 4Larger window (256k).
Screenshots / visionGrok 4Grok 4 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
launchJul 10, 2025

Grok 4 remains the previous xAI flagship on this catalog

2025-07 row. 4.6 is the buy. We keep 4 so upgrade pairs and old inbound links resolve.

Community Sentiment

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CompareLLM AI Matrix

Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry

LIVE BENCHMARK
VS
xAI

Grok 4

Elo 1,488
SWE-bench58.6%
Speed (tok/s)98 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$3/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$15/1M
OpenAI

OpenAI o3-mini

Elo 1,560
SWE-bench78.5%
Speed (tok/s)92 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$1.1/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$4.4/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, Grok 4 or OpenAI o3-mini?
OpenAI o3-mini has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,560). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, Grok 4 or OpenAI o3-mini?
OpenAI o3-mini leads SWE-bench at 78.5% vs 58.6%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
OpenAI o3-mini output tokens are $4.4/1M versus $15/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, Grok 4 or OpenAI o3-mini?
Grok 4 has the lower time-to-first-token (230 ms vs 290 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
Grok 4 accepts 256k tokens versus 200k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. Grok 4 and OpenAI o3-mini Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • launch · Jul 10, 2025

    Grok 4 remains the previous xAI flagship on this catalog

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All Grok 4 matchups →|All OpenAI o3-mini matchups →
Grok 4 vs Grok 3 (previous grok)Grok 4 vs Grok 4.6 (next grok)OpenAI o3-mini vs OpenAI o1-mini (previous gpt-mini)OpenAI o3-mini vs GPT-5 mini (next gpt-mini)GPT-4.5 Orion vs OpenAI o3-miniGPT-5.6 Terra vs OpenAI o3-mini