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Grok 2 vs GPT-4o mini

Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026

Quick Verdict

GPT-4o mini is cheaper than Grok 2 at $0.15/1M/1M vs $2.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 13.3x cost difference. Grok 2 scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1290). Choose GPT-4o mini for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Grok 2 for maximum quality.

Detailed Comparison

MetricGrok 2GPT-4o mini
Input Price / 1M tokens$2.00/1M$0.15/1MCheaper
Output Price / 1M tokens$10.00/1M$0.60/1MCheaper
Context Window131KLarger128K
ELO Score (LMSYS)1290Smarter1272
Open Source
Free Tier
Release Date2024-082024-07

Which is cheaper: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

GPT-4o mini is the cheaper option at $0.15/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.00/1M for Grok 2. That is a 13.3x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Grok 2 charges $10.00/1M/1M vs $0.60/1M/1M for GPT-4o mini.

Which has better quality: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Grok 2 achieves a higher ELO score (1290 vs 1272), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Grok 2 excels at real-time x (twitter) data access. GPT-4o mini is known for extremely low cost — cheapest flagship-family model.

Which should you choose: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

Choose Grok 2 if:
  • Real-time X (Twitter) data access
  • Strong at current events and trending topics
  • Good humor and conversational ability
Choose GPT-4o mini if:
  • Extremely low cost — cheapest flagship-family model
  • Fast inference
  • Good at structured data extraction

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

GPT-4o mini is cheaper at $0.15/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 13.3x more affordable.

Which has better quality: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

Grok 2 scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1290, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.

Which has a larger context window: Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

Grok 2 has a larger context window at 131K tokens.

Should I choose Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini?

Choose GPT-4o mini if cost is the priority. Choose Grok 2 if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Grok 2 is best for research and creative-writing, while GPT-4o mini excels at customer-support and data-extraction.

Is Grok 2 or GPT-4o mini open source?

Grok 2 is proprietary. GPT-4o mini is proprietary.

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