API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGrok 4.3 vs Grok 4.20

The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.

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

Budget verdict

The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.

Both models are estimated at $2.5 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Cost-first pickTie
Context-first pickGrok 4.20
Sample savings$00%
10x traffic gap$0

Context-window winner: Grok 4.20. Cost does not separate this pair on the standard workload, so the next decision point is context window and model behavior.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

The two models stay tied across the input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGrok 4.3Grok 4.20
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputTie$7.5$7.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputTie$3.75$3.75
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputTie$13.75$13.75
Cheaper input Tie $1.25 vs $1.25 / 1M

Both models report the same input price at $1.25 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Tie $2.5 vs $2.5 / 1M

Both models report the same output price at $2.5 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Grok 4.20 1M vs 2M

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

Sample workload Tie $2.5 vs $2.5

Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $2.5.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Grok 4.3 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Grok 4.20 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

both models tie on input price; both models tie on output price; Grok 4.20 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, the standard workload cost is tied.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.5 for Grok 4.3 and $2.5 for Grok 4.20.

Best Fit

Choose Grok 4.3 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Choose Grok 4.20 when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • Both models are estimated at $2.5 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
  • Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $2.5.
  • Both models report the same input price at $1.25 per 1M tokens.
  • Both models report the same output price at $2.5 per 1M tokens.
  • Grok 4.20 has 1M more context (2x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewGrok 4.3
(xAI)		Grok 4.20
(xAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$1.25$1.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$2.5$2.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$2.5$2.5
Context Window1M2M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionTieBoth models are estimated at $2.5 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
High-volume input processingTieLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsTieLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGrok 4.20A 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 4.3 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.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

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

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

xAI catalog

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

Open xAI models
Grok 4.3

Grok 4.3 is a reasoning model from xAI. It accepts text and image inputs with text output, and is suited for agentic workflows, instruction-following tasks, and applications requiring high factual...

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...