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GPT-5.4 mini vs Grok 4.6

A straight cost comparison of GPT-5.4 mini (OpenAI) and Grok 4.6 (xAI Grok), per 1,000,000 tokens, verified October 2026.

Rate-by-rate comparison

For per-token metrics, the lower number wins. For context window and batch support, the higher or broader option wins. A dash means the provider does not publish that rate: a missing cache-write fee means writes are not billed per token, while a missing cached-input rate means cache hits bill at the full input rate.

Blended cost: 1M input + 250K output

Ten workloads, two bills

The same two models, priced across ten workloads that differ only in their input:output ratio. Nothing else changes — no retries, no system prompt, no middleware.

GPT-5.4 mini wins 10 of 10, Grok 4.6 wins 0 of 10. The winner is set by the token mix, not by the headline rate.

Where the two bills cross over

GPT-5.4 mini is cheaper on both sides of the mix: $0.75 vs $2 per million input tokens, and $4.50 vs $6 per million output. No input:output ratio reverses that, so on price alone the other model never becomes the better choice — it has to win on context, latency or output quality.

Cost at four scales

The same support-chat workload (4K input, 600 output per request) at four monthly volumes.

What caching does to each bill

Caching only helps the part of the prompt that repeats. This is the support-chat workload (1,000 requests, 4,000 input tokens each) with an increasing share of that prompt served from a warm cache, written once on the first request.

Both models publish a cached-read rate, so the discount is comparable: GPT-5.4 mini reads cache at $0.075 per million, Grok 4.6 at $0.50.

Which one should you pick?

GPT-5.4 mini wins on classification, data extraction, support chat, code review, summarisation, agent loop, translation, long-document qa, cached rag, nightly batch, while Grok 4.6 wins on none of the ten workloads above.

Beyond price, the two differ on input rate ($0.75 vs $2); output rate ($4.50 vs $6); cached-input rate ($0.075 vs $0.50); context window (400,000 vs 500,000); long-context tier (none vs yes, above 200,000).

Batch mode is available on GPT-5.4 mini and Grok 4.6, which halves the nightly job. Both publish cached-input discounts, so a stable system prompt is worth caching on either.

FAQ

Is GPT-5.4 mini cheaper than Grok 4.6?

On a blended 1M-input-plus-250K-output workload, GPT-5.4 mini is cheaper by 46% ($1.88 vs $3.50). The gap changes for cache-heavy prompts and for batch jobs, as the workload table shows.

Which handles longer prompts, GPT-5.4 mini or Grok 4.6?

Grok 4.6 has the larger context window (500,000 vs 400,000 tokens). Watch the long-context threshold on Grok 4.6: rates rise once input passes it.

Do both models support prompt caching?

GPT-5.4 mini bills cached reads at $0.075 per 1M; Grok 4.6 at $0.50.

Related comparisons

• GPT-5.4 mini vs GPT-5.4 nano
• GPT-5.4 mini vs GPT-4.1
• Grok 4.6 vs Grok 4.3
• All OpenAI pricing
• All xAI Grok pricing

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