What is the best alternative to Grok 4.6?

Claude Opus 4.8 is the closest model that scores higher on the BenchLeader Index (60.6 against 60.5). For less money, GPT-6.1 Terra scores 65.2 at $2.00 per 1M tokens.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Grok 4.6?

Yes: GPT-6.1 Terra (65.2, $2.00), Qwen3.6 Max (62.4, $2.96) and Gemini 3.7 Flash (62.2, $1.50), each within 4 Index points and cheaper than Grok 4.6's $3.00.

Is there an open-source alternative to Grok 4.6?

The best open-weights models on the BenchLeader Index are Kimi K3 (62.1), GLM-5 (60.2) and GLM 5.2 (60.1). You can download and run them yourself; check each licence on its model page.

How are these alternatives chosen?

From the models ranked on the BenchLeader Index today: the ones just above Grok 4.6, cheaper ones within 4 points, ones at least 1.5× as fast within 4 points, and the best open-weights models. Prices are list prices blended three input tokens to one output.

SpaceXAI

Grok 4.6 alternatives

Data as of 2 Nov 2026 · ranked on the BenchLeader Index

As of 2 Nov 2026, Grok 4.6 by SpaceXAI scores 60.5 on the BenchLeader Index at $3.00 per 1M tokens blended. Claude Opus 4.8 scores higher (60.6); GPT-6.1 Terra is the best cheaper model within 4 points (65.2 at $2.00); GPT-5.6 Sol is at least 1.5× as fast at a similar score; Kimi K3 is the best open-weights option (62.1).

Scores higher

The closest models above Grok 4.6 on the Index.

Claude Opus 4.8 Anthropic60.6 · $10.00
Gemini 3.1 Pro Google compare60.6 · $4.50
o3 OpenAI61.0 · $3.50

Cheaper, nearly as good

Within 4 Index points, for less per token.

GPT-6.1 Terra OpenAI65.2 · $2.00
Qwen3.6 Max Alibaba compare62.4 · $2.96
Gemini 3.7 Flash Google62.2 · $1.50
Muse Spark 1.1 Meta compare62.2 · $2.00
Gemini 3.8 Flash Google compare61.9 · $1.50

Faster

At least 1.5× the output speed, within 4 points.

GPT-5.6 Sol OpenAI65.4 · $8.00
GPT-6.1 Terra OpenAI65.2 · $2.00
Claude Sonnet 5.5 Anthropic compare65.1 · $4.00

Open weights

The best models whose weights you can run yourself.

Kimi K3 Moonshot AI62.1 · $6.00
GLM-5 Zhipu AI60.2 · $1.55
GLM 5.2 Zhipu AI60.1 · $2.15

Every alternative side by side

Model	Index	$ / 1M blended	Tokens / s	Why
Grok 4.6 (this model)	60.5	$3.00	70	–
GPT-5.6 Sol	65.4	$8.00	127	faster
GPT-6.1 Terra	65.2	$2.00	107	cheaper, faster
Claude Sonnet 5.5	65.1	$4.00	137	faster
Qwen3.6 Max	62.4	$2.96	–	cheaper
Gemini 3.7 Flash	62.2	$1.50	91	cheaper
Muse Spark 1.1	62.2	$2.00	206	cheaper
Kimi K3	62.1	$6.00	66	open weights
Gemini 3.8 Flash	61.9	$1.50	131	cheaper
o3	61.0	$3.50	160	scores higher
Claude Opus 4.8	60.6	$10.00	66	scores higher
Gemini 3.1 Pro	60.6	$4.50	143	scores higher
GLM-5	60.2	$1.55	62	open weights
GLM 5.2	60.1	$2.15	89	open weights

Prices are list prices blended three input tokens to one output; speeds are measured medians, credited on each model page. The Index is BenchLeader's own, from independent benchmarks.

Questions people ask

What is the best alternative to Grok 4.6?: Claude Opus 4.8 is the closest model that scores higher on the BenchLeader Index (60.6 against 60.5). For less money, GPT-6.1 Terra scores 65.2 at $2.00 per 1M tokens.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Grok 4.6?: Yes: GPT-6.1 Terra (65.2, $2.00), Qwen3.6 Max (62.4, $2.96) and Gemini 3.7 Flash (62.2, $1.50), each within 4 Index points and cheaper than Grok 4.6's $3.00.
Is there an open-source alternative to Grok 4.6?: The best open-weights models on the BenchLeader Index are Kimi K3 (62.1), GLM-5 (60.2) and GLM 5.2 (60.1). You can download and run them yourself; check each licence on its model page.
How are these alternatives chosen?: From the models ranked on the BenchLeader Index today: the ones just above Grok 4.6, cheaper ones within 4 points, ones at least 1.5× as fast within 4 points, and the best open-weights models. Prices are list prices blended three input tokens to one output.