OpenAI o3 vs Grok 3
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
OpenAI o3
OpenAINext generation reasoning model. Improved coding and math over o1.
| Input | $10.00/M |
| Output | $40.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Advanced coding, complex problem-solving |
| Benchmark | 85/100 |
Grok 3
xAIxAI's flagship model. Strong general-purpose capability with real-time knowledge access through X platform integration.
| Input | $3.00/M |
| Output | $15.00/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | General coding, research tasks, current-event-aware applications |
| Benchmark | 70/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | OpenAI o3 | Grok 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85 | 70 | o3 leads by 15pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 82 | 64 | o3 leads by 18pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 88 | 72 | o3 leads by 16pts |
| HumanEval | 96 | 88 | o3 leads by 8pts |
| BigCodeBench | 74 | 56 | o3 leads by 18pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o3 | Grok 3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $1.55 | $0.55 | Grok 3 saves $1.00 (64%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $11.50 | $4.05 | Grok 3 saves $7.45 (65%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $57.50 | $20.25 | Grok 3 saves $37.25 (65%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $2.75 | $0.90 | Grok 3 saves $1.85 (67%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o3 | 85 | $0.167/pt | Higher cost per point |
| Grok 3 | 70 | $0.043/pt | Better value |
Grok 3 delivers the best value at $0.043 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o3
- + Latest reasoning model
- + Top-tier across all benchmarks
- - Very expensive
- - Slow
Grok 3
- + Strong reasoning
- + X integration
- - Newer model
- - Limited ecosystem
Verdict
Grok 3 is cheaper at $3.00/M, but OpenAI o3 scores higher on benchmarks (85 vs 70).
Choose Grok 3 for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o3 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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Claude 3.5 Haiku
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Claude 3 Opus
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