Grok 3 Mini API Pricing: Ultra-Fast Reasoning for STEM and Triage
Comprehensive Grok 3 Mini API pricing analysis ($0.15/M input, $0.60/M output), reasoning token overhead, math calculation speed, and classification efficiency.
How much does Grok-3 Mini cost per million tokens?
Grok 3 Mini costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.60 per million output tokens ($0.2625/M blended at 3:1). A compact, high-speed model optimized for mathematical reasoning, logic puzzles, and high-throughput triage. Verified 2026-09-08.
How much does Grok-3 Mini cost per 1,000 requests?
Computed from generated token pricing. Each row assumes the listed input and output tokens per request; this model has no measured verbosity factor, so the unadjusted output estimate is shown.
| Request shape | Input tokens | Output tokens | Cost / 1,000 requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short | 100 | 50 | $0.0450 |
| Medium | 1,000 | 500 | $0.4500 |
| Long | 4,000 | 2,000 | $1.8000 |
Formula: ((input price × input tokens) + (output price × output tokens × verbosity factor)) ÷ 1,000,000 × 1,000. Assumptions: short 100/50, medium 1,000/500, long 4,000/2,000 input/output tokens per request. Unadjusted — no measured verbosity factor is available.
Volume ladder, output-cost sensitivity, and migration ledger for Grok-3 Mini
1. Fixed-shape monthly cost ladder
| Workload | Input / output tokens | 100K requests | 1M requests | 10M requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short chat | 500 / 150 | $16.50 | $165.00 | $1650.00 |
| Code review | 4,000 / 800 | $108.00 | $1080.00 | $10800.00 |
| Document summary | 16,000 / 2,000 | $360.00 | $3600.00 | $36000.00 |
Cost = requests × (input tokens × $0.15/M + output tokens × $0.60/M) ÷ 1,000,000, at three fixed text-token workload shapes. No volume discount, cache, or batch rate is inferred — Grok-3 Mini's registry entry does not price those tiers.
2. Output-token cost-sensitivity band
| Workload | Input cost (1 request) | Output cost (1 request) | Output share of spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short chat | $0.0001 | $0.0001 | 54.5% |
| Code review | $0.0006 | $0.0005 | 44.4% |
| Document summary | $0.0024 | $0.0012 | 33.3% |
Output share = output-token spend ÷ (input-token spend + output-token spend) for a single request at each shape. Across these three shapes, Grok-3 Mini's output share spans 33.3% to 54.5% — a 21.2%-point swing driven entirely by workload shape, not by any change in the $0.15/$0.60 per-1M rates.
3. Successor rate delta and lifecycle ledger
| Rate | Grok-3 Mini | Grok-4.20 | Delta ($ / %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input $/M | $0.15 | $2.00 | $1.85 (1233.3%) |
| Output $/M | $0.60 | $6.00 | $5.40 (900.0%) |
Delta = successor rate − Grok-3 Mini rate, both taken from the current dated pricing registry. Cache, batch, and context-tier pricing are not substituted across models; each figure is model-specific or marked Unavailable.
| Field | Recorded value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle status | legacy | Verified 2026-08-14 |
| Deprecation announced | Unavailable | No inference beyond the dated record |
| Shutdown date | Unavailable | Null/unavailable is not a promise of indefinite availability |
| Successor | Grok-4.20 | grok-4-20-0309-non-reasoning priced in this registry |
| Context window | Unavailable | Unavailable — no model-specific spec sourced |
Price verified 2026-04-06; lifecycle verified 2026-08-14. Luna is the data owner. "Unavailable" means no compatible dated evidence was found for that field; it is never treated as zero. Dated price source · lifecycle source · Test Grok-3 Mini in All AI Ask.
grok-3-miniGrok 3 Mini API Pricing: Ultra-Fast Reasoning for STEM and Triage
Grok 3 Mini costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.60 per million output tokens ($0.2625/M blended at 3:1). A compact, high-speed model optimized for mathematical reasoning, logic puzzles, and high-throughput triage. Verified 2026-09-08.
Grok 3 Mini delivers sub-dollar per million pricing with blazing inference speed.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | STEM problem verification prompt (1K in, 1.5K out): $0.001050 per problem |
| Scenario 2 | Math tutoring question response (500 in, 800 out): $0.000555 per student turn |
| Scenario 3 | Customer ticket intent classification (400 in, 50 out): $0.000090 per ticket |
| Scenario 4 | Python algorithm validation run (2K in, 1K out): $0.000900 per code execution |
| Scenario 5 | Content moderation filter turn (800 in, 20 out): $0.000132 per moderation check |
| Scenario 6 | Monthly 100M token classification fleet: $26.25 total API infrastructure spend |
Exceptional token throughput pairs with microscopic unit pricing for high-concurrency apps.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | Generates at 140+ tokens per second: sub-second completion on typical student prompts |
| Scenario 2 | Thinking mode activation: solves complex math competitions at <$0.002 per problem |
| Scenario 3 | Zero-latency response enables fluid voice and conversational agent experiences |
| Scenario 4 | Extreme budget efficiency: 1,000 customer triage queries processed for under $0.10 |
| Scenario 5 | Minimal memory footprint ensures high concurrency on shared API gateways |
| Scenario 6 | Optimal choice for high-volume customer service triage and automated scoring engines |
Tiered gateway architecture cuts overall API spend by 80% while accelerating fleet speed.
| Scenario | Rendered Evidence & Bounds |
|---|---|
| Scenario 1 | 1M queries routed via triage gateway: $48.63 vs $250.00 monolithic Grok 3 (80.5% savings) |
| Scenario 2 | Zero loss in perceived accuracy on customer support and FAQ resolution |
| Scenario 3 | Math homework assistant: handles 88% arithmetic directly, escalates 12% multi-variable proofs |
| Scenario 4 | Latency benefit: average response time drops by 65% across overall fleet |
| Scenario 5 | Annual cost reduction on 50M queries: exceeds $10,000 in saved infrastructure spend |
| Scenario 6 | Standardized JSON triage schema ensures frictionless handoff between model tiers |
How fast is Grok-3 Mini?
How much does Grok-3 Mini cost at scale?
| Tokens / month | Est. cost (blended 3:1) |
|---|---|
| 100,000 | $0.03 |
| 1,000,000 | $0.26 |
| 10,000,000 | $2.62 |
| 100,000,000 | $26.25 |
How does Grok-3 Mini compare with other models?
What should you explore next for Grok-3 Mini?
What are common questions about Grok-3 Mini?
Is Grok-3 Mini cheaper than GPT-4o Mini?
Grok-3 Mini costs $0.26/M blended tokens, GPT-4o Mini costs $0.26/M — GPT-4o Mini is cheaper.
How much does 1 million tokens cost with Grok-3 Mini?
At a 3:1 input:output ratio, 1 million blended tokens costs approximately $0.26. Pure input costs $0.15/M; pure output costs $0.60/M.
What does Grok-3 Mini cost at high volume?
At 100 million blended tokens a month, Grok-3 Mini costs approximately $26.25. See the cost-at-scale table below for other volumes.