If you have been tracking xAI this year, you know they have been moving fast. Grok started as a chatbot with a personality, but by June 2026 it has become a full platform with multiple models for reasoning, coding, and image generation.
xAI is still the youngest player among the major AI labs, but they are competing aggressively on pricing and capability. Whether you are a developer looking for a cheap reasoning model or someone curious about what Grok can actually do, this guide covers every current model with real specs and practical advice.
The Current Grok Lineup
xAI currently offers four main models. Grok 4.3 is the reasoning specialist. Grok 4.20 is the general-purpose workhorse. Build 0.1 is the coding and agentic model. And Imagine handles image generation. Each one has a clear job, and the pricing varies significantly between them.
Grok 4.3
Grok 4.3 is xAI's reasoning-focused model. It was designed for complex problem-solving where step-by-step thinking matters. Mathematics, multi-step logic, scientific analysis, and any task that benefits from showing its work before giving an answer.
It has a 1 million token context window and costs $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. If you need accurate reasoning and are willing to pay for it, this is the model to use. It is comparable to OpenAI's o3 and Anthropic's Opus 4.8 in terms of reasoning capability, though each has different strengths on different benchmarks.
Grok 4.20
Grok 4.20 is the general-purpose model and the most affordable option in the lineup. It is fast, capable, and priced to be accessible. Think of it as the everyday model for most tasks.
Grok 4.20 also has a 1 million token context window, costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens. It is roughly half the price of Grok 4.3 on input and a third cheaper on output. For most chat, summarization, content generation, and general Q&A, this is where you should start.
One thing that stands out about Grok 4.20 is its speed. xAI has invested heavily in inference optimization, and Grok 4.20 is one of the fastest models in its class. If latency matters for your use case, it is worth testing.
Grok Build 0.1
Build 0.1 is xAI's coding and agentic model. It is designed for software development workflows, code generation, debugging, and autonomous task execution. It powers the coding features in the Grok ecosystem and is actively being developed.
Build 0.1 has a 1 million token context window and is priced at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, the same as Grok 4.20. It supports tool use, function calling, and can execute multi-step coding tasks. For developers who want to experiment with agentic coding workflows, Build 0.1 provides a solid foundation, though it is still in an early version compared to more mature offerings.
Grok Imagine
Grok Imagine is xAI's image generation model, integrated directly into the Grok platform. It supports text-to-image generation with natural language prompts. The quality has improved significantly since launch and it competes well with Midjourney and DALL-E for most use cases.
Grok Imagine is available as part of xAI's API and includes features like style control, aspect ratio adjustment, and iterative refinement. Pricing for image generation is usage-based through the API.
How Grok Models Compare
| Model | Context | Input $/MTok | Output $/MTok | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 4.3 | 1M | $3 | $15 | Reasoning, math, scientific analysis |
| Grok 4.20 | 1M | $2 | $10 | General chat, content, everyday use |
| Build 0.1 | 1M | $2 | $10 | Coding, agentic tasks, automation |
| Imagine | N/A | Usage-based | Usage-based | Image generation |
Key Features Across the Lineup
All Grok models support a 1 million token context window (except Imagine, which is image-specific). Tool use and function calling are available on Grok 4.3, Grok 4.20, and Build 0.1. Vision (image input) is supported on Grok 4.3 and Grok 4.20.
xAI's API is available globally and offers competitive pricing compared to OpenAI and Anthropic. Grok 4.20 at $2/$10 is cheaper than GPT-4.1 and Claude Sonnet 4.6, making it an attractive option for cost-conscious deployments.
One unique aspect of xAI is their focus on real-time data. Grok models have native access to X (formerly Twitter) data, which gives them an edge for tasks that require up-to-date information about trends, news, and public discussions.
Choosing the Right Model
Here is my recommendation. Start with Grok 4.20. It handles the majority of tasks well, is fast, and is priced competitively. If you need stronger reasoning capabilities, move up to Grok 4.3. For coding workflows, use Build 0.1. For image generation, use Imagine.
The pricing advantage of xAI is real. Grok 4.20 at $2/$10 is significantly cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 at $3/$15 and GPT-4.1 at $2/$8. If you are processing millions of tokens daily, that difference adds up fast. For high-volume applications where cost is a primary concern, xAI's lineup is worth serious consideration.
Bottom Line
xAI has built a surprisingly complete lineup in a short time. Grok 4.20 is one of the best value models on the market right now. Grok 4.3 offers solid reasoning at a reasonable price. Build 0.1 is a promising start for coding, and Imagine rounds out the platform with image generation.
The ecosystem is still maturing compared to OpenAI and Anthropic. The tooling is less mature, the community is smaller, and some features are still in development. But for pure price-to-performance, especially for general-purpose chat and content generation, Grok is a serious contender.
If you have not tried Grok 4.20 yet, it is worth a test run. Start with your simplest use case, evaluate the quality, and if it meets your bar, the cost savings compared to other providers are substantial.
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