Command R vs Grok 3
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
Command R specs · Grok 3 specs- PriceCommand R
Command R is roughly 10.0× cheaper on output tokens ($1.50 vs $15.00 per 1M).
- Context windowTie
Both ship a 128K-token context window.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesGrok 3
Grok 3 supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Command R.
- OpennessCommand R
Command R ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); Grok 3 is API-only.
On balance Command R edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against Grok 3's 1. Command R is roughly 10.0× cheaper on output tokens ($1.50 vs $15.00 per 1M). Both ship a 128K-token context window.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, Command R handles text while Grok 3 handles text, vision, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Command R ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); Grok 3 is API-only.
Grok 3 is the newer of the two, released 11 months after Command R, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Command R is usually picked for rag and customer support workloads, while Grok 3 sees more deployments in chatbots and research agent. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Command R | Grok 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere | xAI |
| Released | Mar 2024 | Feb 2025 |
| Modalities | text | text, vision |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.50 / 1M tokens | $3.00 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $1.50 / 1M tokens | $15.00 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | 2024-08 |
| Open weights | Yes (CC-BY-NC 4.0) | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$3.75 vs $31.50
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$37.50 vs $315
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$84.00 vs $540
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $3.75 vs $31.50 per month, model A comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $37.50 vs $315 per month, model A comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $84.00 vs $540 per month, model A comes out ahead.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Command R$0.125
- Grok 3$1.05
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
Command R fits when…
- Cheap RAG
- Reliable tool-use
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 10.0× cheaper than Grok 3 on output tokens.
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0).
Grok 3 fits when…
- Real-time X access
- Reasoning modes
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Consider Command R+ (08-2024)
Cohere's flagship optimized for RAG and tool use in enterprise settings.
Frequently asked
Is Command R or Grok 3 cheaper?
Command R is cheaper at $1.50 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $15.00 / 1M tokens for Grok 3.Which has the larger context window?
Both Command R and Grok 3 ship a 128K-token context window.Is Command R or Grok 3 better for coding?
Both Command R and Grok 3 are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Command R ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0). Grok 3 is API-only.When were Command R and Grok 3 released?
Command R was released by Cohere on 2024-03-11. Grok 3 was released by xAI on 2025-02-17.
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