Grok 4 vs Grok 4 Fast Reasoning
Data reconciled August 15, 2026
Short answer
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning is 15× cheaper than Grok 4 on input and 30× cheaper on output, while giving up nothing on context or capabilities. On measurable parameters the choice is unambiguous.
Side by side
| Parameter | Grok 4 | Grok 4 Fast Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | xAI |
| Input, $ per 1M tokens | $3.00 | $0.20 |
| Output, $ per 1M tokens | $15.00 | $0.50 |
| Cache read, $ per 1M | — | $0.05 |
| Context window | 256,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Max output | 256,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Vision | no | no |
| Tools | yes | yes |
| Reasoning | no | no |
| Status | available | available |
What it costs on your own workload
A price gap per million tokens says little until your volumes are plugged in: on a long fixed system prompt the winner is the model with cheap cache reads, not the one with a cheap input rate. Run Grok 4 and Grok 4 Fast Reasoning against your own numbers.
Open the cost calculatorWhat is deliberately absent
We do not compare answer quality and we do not reprint third-party benchmarks. We have no quality measurements of our own, and external tables go stale faster than prices while being compiled, almost always, by someone with a stake in the result. What is here is only what we reconcile ourselves every day: prices, limits and supported capabilities.