API cost decision in 10 seconds

Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) vs Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when budget and context both matter.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $105 for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast), saving $100 (95.2% lower).

Cost-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Context-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Sample savings$10095.2%
10x traffic gap$1000

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1000. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent$225$13
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent$180$8
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent$780$32
Cheaper input Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent $30 vs $2 / 1M

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $28 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Cheaper output Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent $150 vs $6 / 1M

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $144 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 1M vs 2M

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1M more context (2x larger).

Sample workload Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent $105 vs $5

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $100 cheaper on the standard workload (95.2% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) Calculating… Estimated API cost
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has the lower input price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $105 for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) and $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Choose Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $105 for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast), saving $100 (95.2% lower).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $100 cheaper on the standard workload (95.2% lower).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $28 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $144 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1M more context (2x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureClaude Opus 4.6 (Fast)
(Anthropic)
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent
(xAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$30$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$150$6
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$105$5
Context Window1M2M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $105 for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast), saving $100 (95.2% lower).
High-volume input processingGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Claude 3 Haiku can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.88.
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.8.
  • Anthropic Claude Haiku Latest can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
  • Claude Haiku 4.5 can replace Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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Anthropic catalog

Review all tracked Anthropic models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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xAI catalog

Check other xAI models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast)

Fast-mode variant of [Opus 4.6](/anthropic/claude-opus-4.6) - identical capabilities with higher output speed at premium 6x pricing. Learn more in Anthropic's docs: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/fast-mode

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is a variant of xAI’s Grok 4.20 designed for collaborative, agent-based workflows. Multiple agents operate in parallel to conduct deep research, coordinate tool use, and synthesize information...