It’s the season of 3’s – from OpenAI’s o3 models to now Grok 3, the latest launch by Elon Musk’s x.Ai’s – it is raining LLMs. The latest model which comes in two variants – Grok-3 and Grok-3 mini – brings a ton of features to Grok’s bucket. Although most of its new features have been around in other LLMs for quite some time, Grok 3 stands as a strong competitor against formidable models like o3-mini, GPT-4, and DeepSeek-V3. In this blog, we will compare o3-mini and Grok 3 on different tasks to see if Grok 3 actually holds potential or if it’s just another Elon Musk hype.
What is Grok 3?
Termed by Elon Musk as the “smartest AI on Earth,” Grok 3 is x.AI’s successor to Grok 2 and Grok 1 models. Grok 3 is a multimodal, closed-source AI that brings a monumental change to the Grok infrastructure adding capabilities of advanced reasoning, detailed search, and longer and deeper thinking. Trained using over 200K NVIDIA H100 GPUs, both Grok-3 and Grok-3 mini outperform models like GPT-4o and DeepSeek-V3 on various benchmarks across Math, Science, and Coding.
The model can analyze and generate images and will soon be able to convert audio to text too. x.AI has plans to introduce a voice interaction mode on Grok 3 as well.
The model is currently only available to users with a Premium+ subscription that comes at $40/month. The API of Grok 3 is not yet available but is set to arrive in the coming few weeks.
Learn More: Grok 3 is Here! And What It Can Do Will Blow Your Mind!
The key highlights of Grok 3 include:
- It is 10 times more powerful than its predecessor Grok 2.
- It comes with agentic capabilities in the form of Deep Search.
- Its ‘Big brain’ feature allows the models to think longer for more complex problems.
How to Access Grok 3?
You can access Grok 3 in the following ways:
- Head to https://grok.com/ and sign in to your paid account. From the model selection menu, click on “Grok 3”, and start chatting!
- You can download the Grok app on your android/ios phone and upgrade to “SuperGrok” to use Grok 3.
For X users:
- Sign into X (Twitter), and click on the Grok icon at the bottom right corner. As the chat opens, you can interact with Grok 3, right in the X platform itself.
- You can click on the Grok icon on the left-side panel to access the Grok chatbot interface. Then choose ‘Grok 3’ from the model selection drop-down menu at the top and get started!
What is o3-mini?
OpenAI developed o3 as their most advanced LLM with enhanced reasoning and problem-solving skills. It surpasses its predecessor, o1, in areas like STEM, logical analysis, and complex question answering by dedicating more processing power to challenging problems.
o3-mini is a streamlined version of o3 that’s lighter, faster, and more affordable. Despite its smaller size, o3-mini still excels in coding, mathematics, and research-based tasks. Users can even customize their reasoning depth to optimize for speed or accuracy.
The model is currently available to all users of ChatGPT, although free-tier users have some usage limitations. The API for o3 mini is also available for OpenAI users.
Also Read: OpenAI o3-mini: Performance, How to Access, and More
How to Access o3-mini?
To access o3-mini, head to https://chatgpt.com/, and select ‘Reason’ before entering your query. The chatbot will then use this advanced model and think before responding.
If you’re a paid user of ChatGPT, you can directly choose o3-mini or o3-mini (high) from the model selection drop-down list.
Grok 3 vs o3-mini: Performance Comparison
We will now compare the two models, Grok 3 and o3-mini, on four different tasks involving reasoning, coding, research, and multimodality. I will review the outputs generated by the two models and then pick the one that I found was better. Let’s start.
Task 1: Reasoning
In this task, I will evaluate the reasoning performance of the two models in designing a logic-based pygame.
Prompt: “Using pygame, make a game that is a mixture of Tetris and Bejeweled. The code could be very long. Output it as one file. Make it insanely great.”
Output by Grok 3
Output by o3-mini
Response Review
| Grok 3 (Big Brain) | o3-mini |
| The model starts by generating a description of the games and how it has merged the features of both games. It mentions how the game will appear during playtime. Then it gives a detailed code working on the mechanics of the game and ensuring all the variables and the movement are defined very well. It defines the logic behind the stacking of the blocks and also establishes the condition for game over. In the output, the stacks follow the defined pattern and make the entire game feel very seamless. | The model starts with defining the problem statement. It then establishes the high-level design of the game including a description of all the components to be covered. The model generates a detailed code but fails to capture the main intricacies of the game. It doesn’t establish any strong stacking logic for the blocks and neither does it give a condition for how or when to end the game. Finally, upon running the output we just get a grid of lines with no stacks falling in real-time. |
Comparative Analysis
Grok 3 takes more time to respond but gives a detailed response. It works like a coding ninja and generates robust code covering each point end-to-end. o3-mini is quick but it lacks the depth that was required for the task. Its attempt feels half-baked with no game-over logic or adherence to the gravity of the falling stacks.
Result: Grok 3: 1 | o3-mini: 0
Task 2: Coding
In this task, I will evaluate the coding performance of the two models based on a problem statement that involves logical thinking in Physics and Mathematics.
Prompt: “Generate code for an animated 3d plot of a launch from Earth landing on Mars and then back to Earth at the next launch window.“
Output by Grok 3
Output by o3-mini
Response Review
| Grok 3 (Think) | o3-mini |
| The model thinks for a long time before generating the code. Its output starts with a description of the code, listing down the libraries that it uses for coding and visualization. Then it gives a detailed code, understanding the physical and mathematical requirements behind creating the 3D animation. | The model quickly starts working on the code. It starts with a small description of the libraries it uses for code and animation and then quickly starts with the code. Although the model took a decent approach, it didn’t account for the motion of the spaceship. Neither does it account for their orbital motion. Moreover, it ends up generating a 3D image and not a 3D animation as was required. |
Comparative Analysis
Grok 3 thinks for 114 seconds against the 7 seconds that o3-mini takes to generate its response. Grok 3 aces at the reasoning that goes behind determining the orbital motion of the spaceship around the planets. And its subsequent code generated an impeccable 3D animation! o3-mini kept things simple and it neither accounted for orbital motion nor did it include spaceship or sun in its code. Overall the depiction by Grok 3 is significantly better than what was generated by o3-mini.
Result: Grok 3: 1 | o3-mini: 0
Task 3: Research
In this task, I will evaluate the “deep search” capabilities of the two models.
Prompt: “When is the next start ship launch?“
Output by Grok 3
Output by o3-mini
Response Review
| Grok 3 (Deep Search) | o3-mini (high) |
| Although it takes longer to respond, the result is much more comprehensive with the date being a closer approximation. The model clearly mentions that the next launch date is no sooner than Feb 24, 2025. In its response, it also covers its approach towards generating the response as it lists down the sources it referred to. It gives a proper conclusion to the response with a table listing the details it collected from various sources. | It only takes a few seconds to generate the result and gives a decent approximation. This model states that the launch is set for March 2025 and then lists several factors that could affect the launch date. It does give some additional information regarding SpaceX and then closes the response with a few reference links. |
Comparative Analysis
Both the models had almost similar initial responses. Grok 3 in Deep Search mode gave the date no sooner than Feb 25, while o3-mini in Thinking Mode approximated it to March 2025. Within the details, I found that the response generated by o3-mini (high) was more relevant to the query, while the result generated by Grok 3 was lengthier for no reason. Finally, it took o3-mini a couple of seconds to generate the response while Grok 3 took over 100 seconds to generate its output.
Result: Grok 3: 0 | o3-mini: 1
Task 4: Image generation
In this task, I will test the image generation capabilities of the two models by asking them to create scalable vector graphics (SVG).
Prompt: “Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle.”
Output by Grok 3
Output by o3-mini
Response Review
| Grok 3 | o3-mini |
| The model generates a funny image of a bird riding a bicycle. The image looks like it was drawn by a 5-year-old. | The model generates a colorful and vibrant image of a pelican riding a bicycle. The image feels like it’s been created by a professional. |
Comparative Analysis
Both the models can generate images, but Grok 3 is still learning. The image it generated felt amateur with the lack of an artistic touch. The image generated by o3-mini on the other hand, had details and it captured the true essence of the pelican and the bicycle.
Result: Grok 3: 0 | o3-mini: 1
Final Verdict: Grok 3: 2 | o3-mini: 2
Comparison Summary
| Task | Grok 3 | o3-mini |
| Reasoning | ✅ | ❌ |
| Coding | ✅ | ❌ |
| Search | ❌ | ✅ |
| Image Generation | ❌ | ✅ |
Grok 3 vs o3-mini: Benchmark Comparison
It appears on the first look from the given benchmarks of the year 2025 and 2024, that Grok-3 Reasoning Beta and Grok-3 mini Reasoning are outperforming the o3-mini, o1, DeepSeek-R1 as well as Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking. But when observed closely, the picture behind these benchmarks becomes a bit more clear.
- The additional bars on top of the Grok 3 models likely represent performance improvements when using Chain of Thought (CoT) reasoning or extended inference time.
- CoT prompting allows models to think step-by-step, improving performance on complex reasoning tasks.
- The Grok-3 models (both Reasoning Beta and mini Reasoning) seem to benefit significantly from this, as indicated by the extra bar sections, suggesting a higher performance score when additional computation is used at test time.
- This implies that Grok-3 models can allocate more compute per query, leading to better reasoning accuracy.
But what is yet to be seen is how the rest of the models would perform given the additional compute time as was given to Grok 3 models. Only once that experiment has been conducted, can there be a fair comparison between the models.
Grok 3 vs o3-mini: Feature Comparison
Both Grok 3 and o3-mini are quite powerful models. Here’s what each of them has to offer in terms of features and applications:
| Features | Grok 3 | o3-mini |
| Advanced Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Video Generation | No | No |
| Image Generation/Analysis | Yes | Yes |
| File Upload | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Deep Search | Yes | Yes (with Pro) |
| Thinking mode | Yes | Yes |
| Thinking Process (in Deep Search) | Abstracted (some parts) | Entirely visible |
| Longer Thinking | Yes (Big Brain) | No |
| Voice interaction | Coming soon | Yes |
| Price | $40/month | $20/month |
| API | Coming Soon | Yes |
x.AI vs OpenAI: Overall Comparison
With Grok 3, Elon Musk’s x.AI has placed itself on a pedestal similar to that of OpenAI’s o-series models. While OpenAI had a longer journey to reach where it is, Grok, leveraging on the mistakes of all the latest models, seemed to have climbed the rope quicker than most. While both the models now have features like Deep Search, thinking, and advanced reasoning, Grok seems to have a slight edge with its “Big Brain” feature.
Both proprietary models have a tough battle ahead with amazing open-source models by Meta AI and Chinese companies like DeepSeek and Qwen. According to Elon Musk, Grok 2 is expected to be open-sourced in the coming months, while o3-mini may still remain closed-sourced. Whereas, Sam Altman has already made o3-mini available for limited use in OpenAI’s free tier, as we await the same for Grok 3. This highlights both companies’ recognition of the increasing demand for accessible and democratized AI, balancing openness with their proprietary advancements.
Conclusion
It’s a tie for now! With Grok 3, Elon Musk promises improvements happening every day. Meanwhile, Sam Altman has promised GPT-5, which if rumors are to be believed, takes us closer to AGI than ever before. In this race to be the top LLM, one thing is for sure, with each upcoming model we are seeing enhancements that can revolutionize the way we work, live, and think.
However, a word of caution must be exercised by both the companies rolling out these LLMs about resource utilization. When it comes to the environmental impact, these advanced models require a huge amount of energy and coolant to power up the data centers that are running them. This is a major concern as companies run towards achieving the top spot in the LLM race.
Frequently Asked Questions
A. Grok 3 is x.AI’s latest AI model, designed to compete with OpenAI’s o3-mini, GPT-4, and DeepSeek-V3. It features advanced reasoning, deep search, and longer thinking capabilities.
A. Grok 3 performs similarly or better than o3-mini in reasoning and coding tasks but takes longer to generate responses due to deeper computation. o3-mini, however, is faster and more efficient in general use.
A. o3-mini is faster and better for quick AI interactions. Grok 3 takes longer but provides deeper insights.
A. Grok 3 is developed and owned by x.AI, a company founded by Elon Musk.
A. o3 and o3-mini are developed by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, led by Sam Altman.
A. Not yet, but x.AI has confirmed an API is coming soon.
A. Grok 3 mini is a lighter, faster version of Grok 3, optimized for speed but with less reasoning depth.
A. No, Grok 3 is not free. It is available for $40/month via the Premium+ subscription on X (Twitter).
A. It allows Grok 3 to think longer on complex queries, leading to more comprehensive and accurate responses—something o3-mini lacks.
A. Deep Search retrieves real-time, web-based information with citations, similar to OpenAI’s Deep Research but designed for more detailed insights.
Anu Madan has 5+ years of experience in content creation and management. Having worked as a content creator, reviewer, and manager, she has created several courses and blogs. Currently, she working on creating and strategizing the content curation and design around Generative AI and other upcoming technology.
