Head-to-head · 2026
Grok 4.6 vs Grok 4.3
Verdict. Use 4.6 as the current xAI flagship for long agent loops. Keep 4.3 when the $1.25/$2.50 band still fits. Do not treat published AA/vendor tables as SIS Model Arena winners.
AI Architect Recommendation
Two Grok seats: 4.6 for flagship agent loops, 4.3 for cheap volume. Do not collapse them. Do not invent a SIS winner.
AI CoE pillar: Technology · model routing + Strategy · evidence honesty
- Long-running coding agents: Grok 4.6
- Bulk fan-out workers: Grok 4.3
- SIS Model Arena contestants: Stay on Claude receipts until a Grok 4.6 JSON run exists
| Grok 4.6 | Grok 4.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | xAI |
| Released | 2026-08-12 | 2026-04-30 |
| Context | 500K | 1M |
| Max output | — | — |
| Input /1M | $2.00 | $1.25 |
| Output /1M | $6.00 | $2.50 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision, video |
The analysis
Grok 4.6 shipped 12 August 2026 as a same-scale post-training refresh of Grok 4.5. Official High scores put it at 61 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. Grok 4.3 remains the earlier cheap-frontier SKU at $1.25/$2.50 with a 1M context window.
The routing fork is price versus published agent scores. 4.6 stays $2/$6 under 200k prompt tokens and doubles above that. 4.3 is still cheaper per token. 4.6 is the model xAI now points at long-running agents; 4.3 is not retired from the cheap tier.
The Starlight Model Arena has receipts for Claude-native cards, not for Grok 4.6. This page is a catalog comparison, not a battle result.
Pick Grok 4.6 if…
- New xAI API work that needs the current flagship
- Long-running coding or knowledge-work loops that can stay under 200k tokens
- Cases where 4.5 stamina failed and you want the documented 4.6 refresh
Pick Grok 4.3 if…
- High-volume, error-tolerant jobs that must stay at $1.25/$2.50
- Workloads that actually need the older 1M context window
- Anything you already measured on 4.3 and have no reason to move
Grok 4.6
Current xAI flagship: same-scale agent refresh of 4.5, AA Index 61, $2/$6 under 200k. No Starlight arena receipt yet.
Grok 4.3
Previous cheap-frontier Grok — superseded as flagship by Grok 4.6 on 12 August 2026.