Grok Build 0.1 vs Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)
Too close to call on our weighted score (Grok Build 0.1 53, Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) 52). The right pick depends on what you value most.
xAIGrok Build 0.1
53/100- ECI—
- Price$1.00 / $2.00
- Context256K
- xAI
Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)
52/100- ECI—
- Price$1.25 / $2.50
- Context1M
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (Grok Build 0.1 53/100, Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) 52/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Grok Build 0.1 on price and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) for long inputs. 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 priceGrok Build 0.1Grok Build 0.1 $1.25 · 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 · Grok Build 0.1 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGrok Build 0.1: Text, Images, PDFs · Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning): Text, Images, PDFs
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Grok Build 0.1 | Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 43 | 39 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 70 |
| Context window | 20% | 36 | 60 |
| Overall | 100% | 53/100 | 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 | Grok Build 0.1xAI | Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.00 (best) | $1.25 |
| Output | $2.00 (best) | $2.50 |
| Cached input | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.25 (best) | $1.56 |
| Long-context rate | Over 200K: $2.00 / $4.00 | Over 200K: $2.50 / $5.00 |
| Price source | Official xAI API | Official xAI API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 256,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 256,000 tokens (best) | 30,000 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | grok-build-0.1 | grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning |
| API providers | 20 (best) | 13 |
| Released | Apr 16, 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.
- Grok Build 0.1$14.00
- Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)$17.50
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Grok Build 0.1 or Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (Grok Build 0.1 53/100, Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) 52/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Grok Build 0.1 on price and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) for long inputs. 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, Grok Build 0.1 or Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning)?
Grok Build 0.1 is cheaper at $1.00 input / $2.00 output per million tokens (official xAI API price). 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 $1.25 per million tokens for Grok Build 0.1 versus $1.56 for Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) (1.3× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Grok Build 0.1 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 Grok Build 0.1 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 256,000 for Grok Build 0.1. Maximum output per response: Grok Build 0.1 up to 256,000, Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) up to 30,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Grok Build 0.1 accepts text, images and PDFs; Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) accepts text, images and PDFs. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. Grok Build 0.1 and Grok 4.20 (Non-Reasoning) are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Grok Build 0.1 is the newest, released Apr 16, 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.
