xAI: Grok 3 Mini
Analysis Summary
xAI's Grok 3 Mini is a compact model with a 131K context window, tool use, and function calling. Its coding, mathematics, instruction following, and tau-style tool-use results are stronger than its broad reasoning profile, giving it a useful specialist character for technical work.
It suits code assistance, structured extraction, agent planning, and high-volume tool-driven automation where latency and price matter. The weaker general intelligence profile means it should not be the default for nuanced strategy, complex client-facing writing, or open-ended analysis. At $0.30 input and $0.50 output per million tokens, it is a practical value tier for routing routine technical traffic.
Assessed September 7, 2026
Editorial notes
Grok 3 Mini pairs strong coding and tool-use results with a 131K context window and low pricing, making it a capable value choice for agentic automation and technical workflows.
Rankings consider pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, and real-world applicability and are refreshed as new models launch. Feedback?
DFO Verdict
Grok 3 Mini pairs strong coding and tool-use results with a 131K context window and low pricing, making it a capable value choice for agentic automation and technical workflows.
Benchmark scores
Magenta = intelligence · Ink = technical/agentic · Cyan = content & long-context · Grey = community benchmarks. Data: Artificial Analysis, Hugging Face.
16.2 Intelligence Index·84.7 Math Index
How xAI: Grok 3 Mini compares
XAI: Grok 3 Mini ranks #168 of 435 AI models we track for overall intelligence. Its 131K-token context window is larger than 48% of the models we list. At $0.30 per million input tokens it is cheaper than 48% of comparable models.
Dark bar = input · light bar = output, scaled to the priciest peer.
1M tokens ≈ 8 full-length novels or ~2,500 pages of business documents in a single request.
Strongest on value. The pulled-in technical corner is the trade-off, and if the shape matters more than the price, this is your model.
Compare shapes side-by-side →Pricing
| Token Type | Cost per 1M tokens | Cost per 1K tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Input | $0.30 | $0.000300 |
| Output | $0.50 | $0.000500 |
What would xAI: Grok 3 Mini cost your business?
Pick the job that looks most like yours, then fine-tune with the sliders. Estimates update live.
A website chatbot handling around 100 customer conversations a day, a few short messages each.
Full calculator with 756 models → Price Calculator
These numbers get smaller with the right architecture.
We route routine calls to cheap models and save xAI: Grok 3 Mini for the hard ones. Most clients cut their estimate by 60-80%.
Talk to our teamAbout xAI: Grok 3 Mini
A lightweight model that thinks before responding. Fast, smart, and great for logic-based tasks that do not require deep domain knowledge. The raw thinking traces are accessible.
Frequently asked questions about xAI: Grok 3 Mini
How much does xAI: Grok 3 Mini cost?
xAI: Grok 3 Mini costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $0.50 per million output tokens.
What is the context window of xAI: Grok 3 Mini?
xAI: Grok 3 Mini has a context window of 131,072 tokens (131K).
What can xAI: Grok 3 Mini do?
xAI: Grok 3 Mini supports tool use and function calling.
Who created xAI: Grok 3 Mini?
xAI: Grok 3 Mini is developed by xAI and was released on June 10, 2025.