Mid vs Budget

Grok 4.3 vs Llama 4 Scout

xAI's mid-tier model against Meta's open-source budget option. Llama 4 Scout is 86% cheaper on input and 76% cheaper on output, while both share 1M token context windows. See which fits your workload.

Pricing data verified: 2026-06-21

SpecificationGrok 4.3 (xAI)Llama 4 Scout (Meta / Together.ai)
Input Price (per 1M tokens)$1.25$0.18
Output Price (per 1M tokens)$2.50$0.59
Context Window1M1M
TierMidBudget
ProviderxAIMeta (Together.ai)
Open SourceNoYes

Calculate Your Exact Costs

See how the costs stack up for your specific usage pattern.

xAI
Grok 4.3
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month
Meta (Together.ai)
Llama 4 Scout
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month

Other Models to Consider

DeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek
$0.14 / $0.28 per 1M
1M context
DeepSeek V4 Pro
DeepSeek
$0.435 / $0.87 per 1M
1M context
Llama 4 Maverick
Meta (Together.ai)
$0.27 / $0.85 per 1M
1M context

Which Model for Which Use Case?

Cost-Sensitive High Volume

Llama 4 Scout's $0.18/M input and $0.59/M output prices are 86% and 76% cheaper than Grok 4.3. For classification, search, chatbots, or any high-volume workload where cost per token matters most, Llama 4 Scout is the clear winner.

Cheaper across the board: Llama 4 Scout

Advanced Reasoning Tasks

Grok 4.3 is a mid-tier model with stronger reasoning capabilities on complex tasks. If your workload involves multi-step reasoning, code generation, or tasks where accuracy matters more than cost, Grok 4.3 may justify the premium.

Better reasoning: Grok 4.3

Long Context Applications

Both models offer 1M token context windows, so there is no difference for long document processing, large codebase analysis, or extended conversations. Choose based on price and quality, not context — they are equal here.

Equal context, lower price: Llama 4 Scout

Self-Hosting and Flexibility

Llama 4 Scout is open-source and available on multiple providers (Together.ai, Fireworks, Replicate, and more). You can self-host for even lower costs at scale. Grok 4.3 is locked to xAI's API with no self-hosting option.

Open source, more providers: Llama 4 Scout

Comparing Mid-Tier vs Budget?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Llama 4 Scout cheaper than Grok 4.3?

Yes. Llama 4 Scout is dramatically cheaper: $0.18/M input (86% cheaper than Grok 4.3's $1.25/M) and $0.59/M output (76% cheaper than Grok 4.3's $2.50/M). For most cost-sensitive workloads, Llama 4 Scout is the clear winner on price.

When would I choose Grok 4.3 over Llama 4 Scout?

Choose Grok 4.3 if you need xAI's ecosystem integration, want access to Grok-specific features like real-time X (Twitter) data, or are working on complex reasoning tasks where Grok 4.3's mid-tier capabilities may deliver better results despite the higher cost.

Do Grok 4.3 and Llama 4 Scout have the same context window?

Yes. Both models support 1M token context windows, making them equally capable of handling long documents, large codebases, and extended conversations. Context window is not a differentiator between these two models.

Can I self-host Llama 4 Scout to save more?

Yes. Llama 4 Scout is open-source and available on multiple providers (Together.ai, Fireworks, Replicate, etc.), and can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. Grok 4.3 is only available through xAI's API. Self-hosting Llama 4 Scout can further reduce costs for high-volume workloads, though you will need to manage your own GPU infrastructure.

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