Is GPT-5 nano 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 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.

Is GPT-5 nano or Grok 2 better for coding?

Both GPT-5 nano 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 nano and Grok 2 released?

GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. Grok 2 was released by xAI on 2024-08-13.

Is GPT-5 nano 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 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.

Is GPT-5 nano or Grok 2 better for coding?

Both GPT-5 nano 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 nano and Grok 2 released?

GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. Grok 2 was released by xAI on 2024-08-13.

GPT-5 nano 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.

UpdatedApr 30, 2026

GPT-5 nano specs · Grok 2 specs

Verdict by category

PriceGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano publishes pricing ($0.40 / 1M output tokens) while Grok 2 does not.
Context windowGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano 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.
ModalitiesTie
Both handle text, vision.
OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.

On balance GPT-5 nano edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against Grok 2's 0. GPT-5 nano publishes pricing ($0.40 / 1M output tokens) while Grok 2 does not. GPT-5 nano 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. Both target the same set of modalities (text, vision), so the deciding factors are price, context, and raw quality. Both are closed-weight, API-only.

GPT-5 nano 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 nano is usually picked for cheapest llm and fastest llm 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 nano	Grok 2
Provider	OpenAI	xAI
Released	Aug 2025	Aug 2024
Modalities	text, vision	text, vision
Context window	400K tokens	128K tokens
Max output	128K tokens	,
Input · 1M	$0.050 / 1M tokens	Pricing not published
Output · 1M	$0.40 / 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$0.750 vs ,
Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$7.50 vs ,
RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$9.90 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).

Price calculator

Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.

Input tokens / dayOutput tokens / dayHorizon

GPT-5 nano$0.025
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.

Benchmark scores not yet available. We only publish numbers we can source from official model cards or independent leaderboards, see methodology.

Pick GPT-5 nano if

GPT-5 nano fits when…

Lowest-cost OpenAI model with vision support
Fast P99 latency
Good enough for routing and classification
Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.

Pick Grok 2 if

Grok 2 fits when…

Free on X Premium
Real-time data

Don't want either?

Consider GPT-5.5

OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.

See GPT-5.5 specs GPT-5 nano vs GPT-5.5 Grok 2 vs GPT-5.5

Frequently asked

Is GPT-5 nano 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 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for Grok 2.
Is GPT-5 nano or Grok 2 better for coding?
Both GPT-5 nano 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 nano and Grok 2 released?
GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. Grok 2 was released by xAI on 2024-08-13.

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