Claude Opus 4.6 vs Grok 4.1 Fast

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

Claude Opus 4.6 by Anthropic wins on 8 of 14 benchmarks against Grok 4.1 Fast by xAI, which leads on 6. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from the AI Value Index.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 1496 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 1482, while Grok 4.1 Fast scores 87.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude Opus 4.6's 82.0%.

Coding: In coding, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 93.5% on HumanEval+ compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 88.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 60.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 72.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 62.0%.

Math: In math, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 92.0% on MATH compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 89.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 97.0% on GSM8K compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 96.0%.

Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 91.3% on GPQA Diamond compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 72.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 60.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 48.0%.

Context: In context, Grok 4.1 Fast scores 256K on Context Length compared to Claude Opus 4.6's 200K.

Pricing Comparison

Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.0/1M input tokens and $25.0/1M output tokens, while Grok 4.1 Fast costs $0.20/1M input and $0.50/1M output. Grok 4.1 Fast is the more affordable option for API usage.

Speed Comparison

Claude Opus 4.6 generates output at 68 tok/s compared to Grok 4.1 Fast's 120 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1680 ms for Claude Opus 4.6 versus 200 ms for Grok 4.1 Fast. Grok 4.1 Fast delivers faster throughput.

Verdict

For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and math, Claude Opus 4.6 has the edge. For those who value affordability and speed, Grok 4.1 Fast is the stronger choice.

Claude Opus 4.6 vs Grok 4.1 Fast — FAQ

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.6 or Grok 4.1 Fast?

Claude Opus 4.6 wins on more benchmarks overall (8 vs 6). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does Claude Opus 4.6 compare to Grok 4.1 Fast for coding?

Claude Opus 4.6 is better for coding, scoring 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 60.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.

Is Claude Opus 4.6 cheaper than Grok 4.1 Fast?

Yes, Grok 4.1 Fast is cheaper. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.0/1M input and $25.0/1M output tokens. Grok 4.1 Fast costs $0.20/1M input and $0.50/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Claude Opus 4.6 or Grok 4.1 Fast?

Grok 4.1 Fast is faster, generating output at 120 tok/s compared to 68 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the Claude Opus 4.6 vs Grok 4.1 Fast comparison cover?

This comparison covers 14 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, Time to First Token, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.