Aion-3.0-Mini vs Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) comes out ahead, 52 to 41 on our weighted score, though Aion-3.0-Mini is 44% cheaper per token.
Aion Labs
Aion-3.0-Mini
41/100- ECI—
- Price$0.70 / $1.40
- Context131K
- Our pick
xAIGrok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)
52/100- ECI—
- Price$1.25 / $2.50
- Context1M
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) is our pick
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) is the better all-round choice, scoring 52/100 against Aion-3.0-Mini (41). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Aion-3.0-Mini wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceAion-3.0-MiniAion-3.0-Mini $0.875 · Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) $1.56 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGrok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) 1,000,000 · Aion-3.0-Mini 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGrok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)Aion-3.0-Mini: Text · Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning): Text, Images, PDFs
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Aion-3.0-Mini | Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 50 | 39 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 70 |
| Context window | 20% | 25 | 60 |
| Overall | 100% | 41/100 | 52/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Aion-3.0-MiniAion Labs | Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.70 (best) | $1.25 |
| Output | $1.40 (best) | $2.50 |
| Cached input | — | $0.20 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.875 (best) | $1.56 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Over 200K: $2.50 / $5.00 |
| Price source | Median of 4 providers | Official xAI API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens (best) | 30,000 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | Yes |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | — | grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning |
| API providers | 4 | 13 (best) |
| Released | May 14, 2026 | Mar 9, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Aion-3.0-Mini$9.80
- Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)$17.50
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Aion-3.0-Mini or Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)?
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) is the better all-round choice, scoring 52/100 against Aion-3.0-Mini (41). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Aion-3.0-Mini wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Aion-3.0-Mini or Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)?
Aion-3.0-Mini is cheaper at $0.70 input / $1.40 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers). Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) costs $1.25 input / $2.50 output per million tokens (official xAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.875 per million tokens for Aion-3.0-Mini versus $1.56 for Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) (1.8× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Aion-3.0-Mini has not been scored yet and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Aion-3.0-Mini and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Aion-3.0-Mini. Maximum output per response: Aion-3.0-Mini up to 32,768, Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) up to 30,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Aion-3.0-Mini accepts text; Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) accepts text, images and PDFs. Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
No. Aion-3.0-Mini and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Aion-3.0-Mini is the newest, released May 14, 2026. Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) came out Mar 9, 2026.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.
