OpenAI vs xAI
A comprehensive comparison of OpenAI (7 models) and xAI (1 model) across pricing, benchmarks, context windows, and capabilities. Updated for 2026.
Provider Overview
OpenAI
Models
7
Price range
$0.75 – $18.00
Avg benchmarks
84.1%
Avg context
169K
xAI
Models
1
Price range
$18.00 – $18.00
Avg benchmarks
83.7%
Avg context
128K
Model Lineup Comparison
| Model | Provider | Category | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | Context | Avg Bench |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | Flagship | $1.25 | $10.00 | 128K | 85.7% |
| GPT-5.2 Codex | OpenAI | Flagship | $1.75 | $14.00 | 200K | 86.8% |
| GPT-5.3 Codex | OpenAI | Flagship | $2.00 | $16.00 | 200K | 88.2% |
| Grok 4 | xAI | Flagship | $3.00 | $15.00 | 128K | 83.7% |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | Mid-Tier | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K | 78.6% |
| o3 | OpenAI | Reasoning | $0.40 | $1.60 | 200K | 86.9% |
| o4-mini | OpenAI | Reasoning | $1.10 | $4.40 | 200K | 84.8% |
| GPT-4o Mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K | 77.6% |
Head-to-Head by Category
Flagship
$2.00/1M
$16.00/1M
200K
88.2%
$3.00/1M
$15.00/1M
128K
83.7%
Mid-Tier
$2.50/1M
$10.00/1M
128K
78.6%
Reasoning
$0.40/1M
$1.60/1M
200K
86.9%
Budget
$0.15/1M
$0.60/1M
128K
77.6%
Verdict
Best on price: OpenAI offers the cheapest option at $0.75/1M tokens combined, vs $18.00/1M from xAI.
Higher benchmarks: OpenAI averages 84.1% across models, vs 83.7% from xAI.
Larger context: OpenAI averages 169K context window across models.
More models: OpenAI offers 7 models vs 1 from xAI.
Choose OpenAI if cost is your priority. Choose OpenAI if you need the highest quality across your workloads.