API cost decision in 10 seconds

Grok 4.20 vs Palmyra X5

Pick Grok 4.20 when budget and context both matter.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T10:03:26Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T13:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Grok 4.20 when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 is estimated at $2.5 vs $3.6 for Palmyra X5, saving $1.1 (30.6% lower).

Cost-first pickGrok 4.20

Context-first pickGrok 4.20

Sample savings$1.130.6%

10x traffic gap$11

Grok 4.20 is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $11. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Palmyra X5, balanced workload favors Grok 4.20, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok 4.20.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Grok 4.20	Palmyra X5
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Palmyra X5	$7.5	$6
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Grok 4.20	$3.75	$6.6
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Grok 4.20	$13.75	$30.6

Cheaper input Palmyra X5 $1.25 vs $0.6 / 1M

Palmyra X5 is $0.65 cheaper per 1M input tokens (52% lower; 2.08x difference).

Cheaper output Grok 4.20 $2.5 vs $6 / 1M

Grok 4.20 is $3.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (58.3% lower; 2.4x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 2M vs 1.04M

Grok 4.20 has 960K more context (1.92x larger).

Sample workload Grok 4.20 $2.5 vs $3.6

Grok 4.20 is $1.1 cheaper on the standard workload (30.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Grok 4.20 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Palmyra X5 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

Palmyra X5 has the lower input price; Grok 4.20 has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Grok 4.20 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.5 for Grok 4.20 and $3.6 for Palmyra X5.

Best Fit

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

Choose Palmyra X5 when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 is estimated at $2.5 vs $3.6 for Palmyra X5, saving $1.1 (30.6% lower).
Grok 4.20 is $1.1 cheaper on the standard workload (30.6% lower).
Palmyra X5 is $0.65 cheaper per 1M input tokens (52% lower; 2.08x difference).
Grok 4.20 is $3.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (58.3% lower; 2.4x difference).
Grok 4.20 has 960K more context (1.92x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Grok 4.20 (xAI)	Palmyra X5 (Writer)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$1.25	$0.6
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.5	$6
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$2.5	$3.6
Context Window	2M	1.04M
Release Date	2026-03-31	2026-01-21

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Grok 4.20	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 is estimated at $2.5 vs $3.6 for Palmyra X5, saving $1.1 (30.6% lower).
High-volume input processing	Palmyra X5	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Grok 4.20	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Grok 4.20	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Grok Build 0.1 can replace Grok 4.20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.

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Writer catalog

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Grok 4.20

Grok 4.20 is a reasoning model from xAI with industry-leading speed and agentic tool calling capabilities. It combines the lowest hallucination rate on the market with strict prompt adherance, delivering...

Palmyra X5

Palmyra X5 is Writer's most advanced model, purpose-built for building and scaling AI agents across the enterprise. It delivers industry-leading speed and efficiency on context windows up to 1 million...