API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGrok Build 0.1 vs R1

Pick R1 for lower cost; pick Grok Build 0.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T19:08:13Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick R1 for lower cost; pick Grok Build 0.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.05 (2.5% lower).

Cost-first pickR1

Context-first pickGrok Build 0.1

Sample savings$0.052.5%

10x traffic gap$0.5

Grok Build 0.1 has more context, but R1 saves $0.05 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.5. 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 R1, balanced workload favors Grok Build 0.1, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok Build 0.1.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Grok Build 0.1	R1
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	R1	$6	$4.75
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Grok Build 0.1	$3	$3.2
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Grok Build 0.1	$11	$13.2

Cheaper input R1 $1 vs $0.7 / 1M

R1 is $0.3 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).

Cheaper output Grok Build 0.1 $2 vs $2.5 / 1M

Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Larger context Grok Build 0.1 256K vs 163.84K

Grok Build 0.1 has 92.16K more context (1.56x larger).

Sample workload R1 $2 vs $1.95

R1 is $0.05 cheaper on the standard workload (2.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Grok Build 0.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost

R1 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

R1 has the lower input price; Grok Build 0.1 has the lower output price; Grok Build 0.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, R1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Grok Build 0.1 and $1.95 for R1.

Best Fit

Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose R1 when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.05 (2.5% lower).
R1 is $0.05 cheaper on the standard workload (2.5% lower).
R1 is $0.3 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).
Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Grok Build 0.1 has 92.16K more context (1.56x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewGrok Build 0.1 (xAI)	R1 (DeepSeek)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$1	$0.7
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2	$2.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$2	$1.95
Context Window	256K	163.84K
Release Date	2026-05-20	2025-01-20
Popularity	#119	#144

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	R1	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.05 (2.5% lower).
High-volume input processing	R1	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Grok Build 0.1	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Grok Build 0.1	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
DeepSeek V3.2 can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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xAI catalog

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DeepSeek catalog

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