Grok-2vsGrok 3
xAI vs xAI — Side-by-side model comparison
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Metric | Grok-2 | Grok 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | ||
| Arena Rank | #7 | #5 |
| Context Window | 128K | 128K |
| Input Pricing | $2.00/1M tokens | $3.00/1M tokens |
| Output Pricing | $10.00/1M tokens | $15.00/1M tokens |
| Parameters | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Best For | Real-time information, reasoning, coding | Real-time info, reasoning, math |
| Release Date | Aug 13, 2024 | — |
Grok-2
Grok-2 is xAI's flagship language model, designed with unique access to real-time data from the X platform (formerly Twitter). It features a 128K context window and delivers strong performance across reasoning, coding, and general knowledge tasks. Grok-2 differentiates itself through its ability to incorporate current events and trending discussions into its responses, making it particularly useful for tasks requiring up-to-the-minute information.
View xAI profile →Grok 3
Grok 3 is xAI's frontier AI model, trained on one of the world's largest GPU clusters (100,000 Nvidia H100s). It features real-time access to X (Twitter) data, giving it uniquely current information about world events, public sentiment, and trending topics. The model excels at coding, reasoning, and factual tasks while offering a distinctive personality that includes humor and directness. With strong performance on arena benchmarks, Grok 3 competes directly with GPT-4o and Claude Sonnet. Its differentiator is the real-time information access and willingness to engage with topics that other models may decline. Available through the xAI API and the Grok chatbot on X, it has quickly become one of the most capable models in the market.
View xAI profile →Key Differences: Grok-2 vs Grok 3
Grok 3 ranks higher in arena benchmarks (#5) indicating stronger overall performance.
Grok-2 is 1.5x cheaper on average, making it the better choice for high-volume applications.
When to use Grok-2
- +Budget is a concern and you need cost efficiency
- +Your use case involves real-time information, reasoning, coding
When to use Grok 3
- +You need the highest quality output based on arena rankings
- +Quality matters more than cost
- +Your use case involves real-time info, reasoning, math
Cost Analysis
At current pricing, Grok-2 is 1.5x more affordable than Grok 3. For a typical enterprise workload processing 100M tokens per month:
Grok-2 monthly cost
$600
100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)
Grok 3 monthly cost
$900
100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)
The Verdict
Grok-2 wins our head-to-head comparison with 2 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for real-time information, reasoning, coding, though Grok 3 holds an edge in real-time info, reasoning, math.
Last compared: March 2026 · Data sourced from public benchmarks and official pricing pages