Grok 3 Mini Reasoning vs o3
Wins 0 of 6 areas
—
Wins 6 of 6 areas
Coding · Agents · Reasoning · Facts · Long documents · Following instructions
o3 is the stronger all-rounder.Grok 3 Mini Reasoning is cheaper.
Scores updated · 22 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the six areas where both have results. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking02o32 of 3 tests · 1 tie
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up12o32 of 3 tests
- CodingWriting and fixing software01o31 of 2 tests · 1 tie
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own01o31 of 1 test
- Long documentsFinding answers in very long texts01o31 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked01o31 of 1 test
Agents, long documents and following instructions rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
Grok 3 Mini Reasoning costs 92% less for the same work.
The biggest differences
The tests each model wins by the widest margin, up to three each. Scores are out of 100.
Where o3 pulls ahead
- Short factual questions, answered correctlySimpleQA Verified+28.3points ahead
- Follows unfamiliar, precisely checkable instructionsIFBench+25.5points ahead
- Answers hard knowledge questions correctlyAA-Omniscience · Accuracy+23.5points ahead
Where Grok 3 Mini Reasoning pulls ahead
- Avoids making up answers it doesn't knowAA-Omniscience · Non-hallucination+62.3points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 22 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
Reasoningo3
- Humanity's Last Examo3 by 9.11120.1+9.1
- GPQA Diamondo3 by 3.679.182.7+3.6
- CritPttie0.61.1tie
Factso3
- AA-Omniscience · Non-hallucinationGrok 3 Mini Reasoning by 62.374.211.9+62.3
- SimpleQA Verifiedo3 by 28.321.149.4+28.3
- AA-Omniscience · Accuracyo3 by 23.515.138.6+23.5
Other results11 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- ARC-AGI-1o3 by 44.316.560.8+44.3
- livecodebench_hardo3 by 14.951.166+14.9
- Artificial Analysis Coding Indexo3 by 13.225.238.4+13.2
- τ²-Bench Telecom (AA run)Grok 3 Mini Reasoning by 9.790.480.7+9.7
- AA-OmniscienceGrok 3 Mini Reasoning by 8.7-6.8-15.6+8.7
- AA Intelligenceo3 by 5.614.620.2+5.6
- AA Agentic Indexo3 by 4.931.236.1+4.9
- AIME 2025Grok 3 Mini Reasoning by 4.490.886.4+4.4
- LiveCodeBencho3 by 4.380.484.7+4.3
- livecodebench_mediumo3 by 3.985.989.8+3.9
- livecodebench_easyo3 by 198.199.1+1
Questions people ask
Which is better, Grok 3 Mini Reasoning or o3?
o3 wins all six areas where both have results: coding, agents, reasoning, facts, long documents and following instructions. Grok 3 Mini Reasoning wins none, but costs 92% less.
Which is better for coding?
o3. It wins 1 of the 2 coding tests both models report; Grok 3 Mini Reasoning wins none, and 1 is a tie.
Which is cheaper?
Grok 3 Mini Reasoning costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $0.50 per million output tokens; o3 costs $2.00 and $8.00. That makes Grok 3 Mini Reasoning about 92% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 22 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 11 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 11 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.