Google vs xAI
Complete comparison of Google (8 models) and xAI (5 models) for AI coding projects. Updated April 2026.
Quick Verdict
Google offers 8 models ranging from $0.037 to $2.50 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite.
xAI offers 5 models ranging from $0.300 to $5.00 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Grok 3 Mini.
Winner on price: Google ($0.037/M input). Winner on average: Google (avg $0.683/M).
Winner Per Scenario
Which provider has the cheapest model for each coding scenario?
| Scenario | Google Best | xAI Best | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite — <$0.01 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.03 | Google wins by $0.02 |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite — $0.04 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.21 | Google wins by $0.16 |
| Large Project (50K lines) | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite — $0.22 | Grok 3 Mini — $1.02 | Google wins by $0.81 |
| Code Review (5K lines) | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite — $0.01 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.07 | Google wins by $0.05 |
Head-to-Head Model Comparisons
Each Google model matched against its closest-priced xAI competitor. Medium project cost (500K input + 200K output).
| xAI | Cost | Cost | Savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Grok Code | $2.44 | $2.02 | Grok Code saves $0.41 (17%) |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Grok 3 Mini | $0.17 | $0.21 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $0.03 (16%) |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | Grok 3 Mini | $0.12 | $0.21 | Gemini 2.0 Flash saves $0.09 (44%) |
| Gemini 1.5 Pro | Grok Code | $1.44 | $2.02 | Gemini 1.5 Pro saves $0.59 (29%) |
| Gemini 1.5 Flash | Grok 3 Mini | $0.09 | $0.21 | Gemini 1.5 Flash saves $0.12 (58%) |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | Grok 3 Mini | $0.04 | $0.21 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite saves $0.16 (79%) |
| Gemini 2.0 Pro | Grok 3 | $2.88 | $4.05 | Gemini 2.0 Pro saves $1.17 (29%) |
| Gemma 3 27B | Grok 3 Mini | $0.12 | $0.21 | Gemma 3 27B saves $0.09 (44%) |
Full Ranking — All 13 Models
Every model from both providers, ranked by medium project cost.
| # | Model | Provider | Input ($/M) | Medium Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | $0.037 | $0.04 | |
| 2 | Gemini 1.5 Flash | $0.075 | $0.09 | |
| 3 | Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.100 | $0.12 | |
| 4 | Gemma 3 27B | $0.100 | $0.12 | |
| 5 | Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.150 | $0.17 | |
| 6 | Grok 3 Mini | xAI | $0.300 | $0.21 |
| 7 | Gemini 1.5 Pro | $1.25 | $1.44 | |
| 8 | Grok Code | xAI | $1.50 | $2.02 |
| 9 | Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25 | $2.44 | |
| 10 | Gemini 2.0 Pro | $2.50 | $2.88 | |
| 11 | Grok 3 | xAI | $3.00 | $4.05 |
| 12 | Grok 3 Vision | xAI | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 13 | Grok 4 | xAI | $5.00 | $6.75 |
Explore Individual Comparisons
Detailed side-by-side comparisons between specific models.