Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Grok 3 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,405 vs 1,248), while Grok 3 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (51.4%), while Grok 3 is more budget-friendly at $15/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Original Claude 3 flagship. Kept so opus 3 vs later Opus and vs GPT-4o still resolve.
Previous xAI generation before Grok 4. Kept for grok 3 vs grok 4.
Δ 157 Arena Elo pts
88 tok/s
$15 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Claude 3 Opus | Grok 3 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +157 | ||
| LiveBench | +14% | ||
| SWE-bench | +13% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +23.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +170 ms | ||
| Output speed | 48 tok/s | 88 tok/s | +40 tok/s |
| Input price | +$12/1M | ||
| Output price | +$60/1M | ||
| Context window | +69k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Grok 3 is estimated to save $1,320.00/month ($15,840/year).
Higher SWE-bench (51.4%).
Lower output list price ($15/1M).
Lower TTFT (250 ms).
Larger window (200k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Grok 3).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Grok 3 | Higher SWE-bench (51.4%). |
| High-volume chat | Grok 3 | Lower output list price ($15/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Grok 3 | Lower TTFT (250 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude 3 Opus | Larger window (200k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Grok 3 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Grok 3). |
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