Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) stands out as a top-tier model, blending exceptional intelligence with impressive speed and competitive pricing, making it ideal for demanding analytical tasks.
Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) from xAI emerges as a formidable contender in the large language model landscape, particularly for applications requiring deep analytical capabilities. Scoring an impressive 64 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, it significantly surpasses the average model intelligence of 36, placing it among the top 3 models benchmarked. This high intelligence, coupled with its ability to process both text and image inputs, positions Grok 4.1 Fast as a versatile tool for complex problem-solving, data interpretation, and advanced content generation.
Beyond its cognitive prowess, Grok 4.1 Fast distinguishes itself with remarkable operational efficiency. It boasts a median output speed of 151 tokens per second, ranking it 28th out of 134 models, ensuring rapid response times for interactive applications and high-throughput workloads. While its Time To First Token (TTFT) latency of 8.37 seconds is a consideration for real-time conversational interfaces, its overall output speed compensates by quickly delivering comprehensive responses once processing begins. This balance of speed and intelligence makes it suitable for scenarios where the depth of analysis is paramount, even if the initial response takes a moment longer.
From a cost perspective, Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) offers a compelling value proposition. With an input token price of $0.20 per 1 million tokens and an output token price of $0.50 per 1 million tokens, it is moderately priced compared to industry averages of $0.25 and $0.80, respectively. Its blended price of $0.28 per 1 million tokens (based on a 3:1 input-to-output ratio) further underscores its affordability for sustained use. While its verbosity, generating 71 million tokens during the Intelligence Index evaluation (compared to an average of 30 million), suggests a tendency for detailed outputs, this can be a benefit for tasks requiring thorough explanations or comprehensive content, provided users manage output length effectively.
The model's substantial 2 million token context window is another critical feature, enabling it to handle extensive documents, prolonged conversations, and complex data sets without losing context. This large memory capacity is invaluable for tasks like legal document analysis, long-form content creation, or maintaining coherence across multi-turn interactions. Developed by xAI and offered under a proprietary license, Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) represents a powerful, intelligent, and efficient solution for enterprises and developers seeking a high-performance AI model.
64 (#3 / 134)
151.4 tokens/s
$0.20 /M tokens
$0.50 /M tokens
71M tokens
8.37 seconds
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Owner | xAI |
| License | Proprietary |
| Model Variant | Reasoning |
| Context Window | 2,000,000 tokens |
| Input Modalities | Text, Image |
| Output Modalities | Text |
| Intelligence Index Score | 64 (Rank #3 / 134) |
| Median Output Speed | 151.4 tokens/s (Rank #28 / 134) |
| Time To First Token (TTFT) | 8.37 seconds |
| Input Token Price | $0.20 / 1M tokens |
| Output Token Price | $0.50 / 1M tokens |
| Blended Price (3:1) | $0.28 / 1M tokens |
| Verbosity (Intelligence Index) | 71M tokens |
When considering Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning), xAI is the sole provider, offering direct access to this powerful model. The decision then shifts from choosing a provider to optimizing your usage within the xAI ecosystem, focusing on integration, support, and cost management strategies.
| Priority | Pick | Why | Tradeoff to accept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority | Pick | Why | Tradeoff |
| Direct Access & Performance | xAI | As the developer and sole provider, xAI offers the most direct access to Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning), ensuring optimal performance, latest updates, and direct support. | Limited vendor choice; reliance on xAI's infrastructure and pricing structure. |
| Integration & Ecosystem | xAI | Leveraging xAI's native APIs and tools can streamline integration into existing systems, potentially offering a more cohesive development experience. | May require adapting existing workflows to xAI's specific API conventions. |
| Support & Expertise | xAI | Direct access to the model's creators means unparalleled support for technical issues, feature requests, and best practices for model utilization. | Support channels and response times are dictated by xAI's service level agreements. |
| Cost Efficiency (Direct) | xAI | Direct pricing from the source means no intermediary markups, ensuring you get the most competitive rates available for this specific model. | No ability to shop around for better pricing from alternative providers. |
Note: Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) is exclusively offered by xAI. The 'Provider Pick' focuses on considerations for engaging directly with xAI.
Understanding the real-world cost implications of Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) requires examining typical usage scenarios. Below are estimated costs for various common AI tasks, demonstrating how its pricing structure translates into practical applications.
| Scenario | Input | Output | What it represents | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario | Input | Output | What it represents | Estimated cost |
| Complex Document Analysis | 1.5M tokens | 200K tokens | Analyzing a large legal brief or research paper and generating a detailed summary with key findings. | $0.40 |
| Advanced Code Generation | 50K tokens | 100K tokens | Generating a complex software module based on detailed specifications and existing codebase context. | $0.06 |
| Multimodal Content Creation | 10K text + 1 image | 50K tokens | Describing an image and generating a creative story or marketing copy based on the visual and textual prompts. | $0.027 |
| Long-form Article Writing | 20K tokens | 300K tokens | Drafting a comprehensive article or report from a detailed outline and research notes. | $0.19 |
| Customer Support Automation | 5K tokens | 10K tokens | Handling a complex customer query requiring deep understanding of product manuals and generating a detailed resolution. | $0.0035 |
| Data Synthesis & Reporting | 500K tokens | 150K tokens | Synthesizing data from multiple sources and generating a structured business report. | $0.175 |
Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) proves cost-effective for high-value, high-token-count tasks, especially those with a balanced input-output ratio. Its competitive output pricing helps mitigate costs even with its verbose nature, making it a strong candidate for applications demanding deep intelligence and comprehensive results.
Optimizing costs while leveraging the advanced capabilities of Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) involves strategic prompt engineering and careful output management. Here are key strategies to maximize efficiency.
Grok 4.1 Fast's tendency for detailed responses can lead to higher output token counts. Implement strategies to control output length:
While the input price is competitive, efficient input still matters, especially with a 2M context window. Ensure your prompts are:
The 2 million token context window is a powerful asset, but using it indiscriminately can still incur costs. Use it wisely:
Given its high output speed, Grok 4.1 Fast is well-suited for batch processing. Consolidate multiple requests into single API calls where possible to reduce overhead and potentially improve cost-efficiency for high-volume tasks.
Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) is distinguished by its exceptional intelligence (ranking #3 among 134 models), high output speed (151.4 tokens/s), and a massive 2 million token context window. It's designed for complex analytical tasks and comprehensive content generation, offering a strong balance of performance and competitive pricing.
With an Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index score of 64, Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) significantly outperforms the average model score of 36, placing it in the top 3. This indicates superior capabilities in understanding, reasoning, and generating high-quality, insightful responses.
While it boasts a very high output speed (151.4 tokens/s), its Time To First Token (TTFT) latency of 8.37 seconds is on the higher side. This means there might be a noticeable delay before the first part of the response appears. It's excellent for applications where the overall speed of generating a complete, detailed response is critical, but less ideal for ultra-low-latency, highly interactive conversational interfaces.
Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) tends to produce more verbose outputs, as evidenced by generating 71 million tokens during its Intelligence Index evaluation (compared to an average of 30 million). While this can be beneficial for detailed tasks, it means you might incur higher output token costs if you don't actively manage the desired length of responses through prompt engineering or post-processing.
Yes, Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) supports multimodal input, meaning it can process both text and image inputs. This capability allows for a wider range of applications, such as analyzing visual data, generating descriptions from images, or combining visual and textual context for more nuanced understanding.
A 2 million token context window is exceptionally large, allowing the model to process and retain an enormous amount of information within a single interaction. This is crucial for tasks involving very long documents (e.g., legal texts, books), extensive codebases, or maintaining deep context over prolonged, multi-turn conversations without losing coherence or requiring constant re-feeding of past information.
Grok 4.1 Fast (Reasoning) is owned by xAI and is offered under a proprietary license. This means it is a closed-source model, and its usage is governed by the terms and conditions set forth by xAI.