GPT-5 mini vs Grok 2
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
GPT-5 mini specs · Grok 2 specs- PriceGPT-5 mini
GPT-5 mini publishes pricing ($2.00 / 1M output tokens) while Grok 2 does not.
- Context windowGPT-5 mini
GPT-5 mini accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesGPT-5 mini
GPT-5 mini supports 3 modalities (text, vision, audio) vs 2 for Grok 2.
- OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.
On balance GPT-5 mini edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against Grok 2's 0. GPT-5 mini publishes pricing ($2.00 / 1M output tokens) while Grok 2 does not. GPT-5 mini accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× the room for long documents and codebases.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-5 mini handles text, vision, audio while Grok 2 handles text, vision, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Both are closed-weight, API-only.
GPT-5 mini is the newer of the two, released 12 months after Grok 2, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-5 mini is usually picked for code completion and customer support workloads, while Grok 2 sees more deployments in chatbots. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-5 mini | Grok 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | xAI |
| Released | Aug 2025 | Aug 2024 |
| Modalities | text, vision, audio | text, vision |
| Context window | 400K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | 128K tokens | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.25 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Output · 1M | $2.00 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-09 | , |
| Open weights | No | 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 ,
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$37.50 vs ,
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$49.50 vs ,
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates).
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- GPT-5 mini$0.125
- Grok 2Pricing unavailable
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
GPT-5 mini fits when…
- Excellent price-quality ratio for production workloads
- Fast first-token latency
- Same tool-use API surface as flagship
- Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.
- Multimodal needs covering audio.
Grok 2 fits when…
- Free on X Premium
- Real-time data
Consider GPT-5.5
OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.
Frequently asked
Is GPT-5 mini or Grok 2 cheaper?
Per-token pricing isn't published for at least one of these models, check each model's spec page for current rates.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 mini accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.Is GPT-5 mini or Grok 2 better for coding?
Both GPT-5 mini and Grok 2 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?
Neither model ships open weights, both are accessible only via their respective providers' APIs.When were GPT-5 mini and Grok 2 released?
GPT-5 mini was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. Grok 2 was released by xAI on 2024-08-13.
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