| Signal | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking | Delta | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 33 | -50 | |
Pricing | 0 | 0 | |
Context window size | 81 | -- | |
Recency | 100 | +21 | |
Output Capacity | 80 | +60 | |
Benchmarks | 0 | -77 | |
| Overall Result | 2 wins | of 6 | 3 wins |
9
days higher
2
days
19
days higher
Baidu
xAI
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking saves you $34.00/month
That's $408.00/year compared to Grok 3 Mini at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking | Grok 3 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70 | 70 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Rank | #161 | #160 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Quality Rank | #161 | #160 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Adoption Rank | #161 | #160 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Parameters | 21B | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 131K | 131K | -- |
| Pricing | $0.07/$0.28/M | $0.30/$0.50/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 33 | 83 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Pricing | 0 | 1 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Context window size | 81 | 81 | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking |
| Recency | 100 | 80 | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking |
| Output Capacity | 80 | 20 | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking |
| Benchmarks | -- | 77 | Grok 3 Mini |
Our composite score (0–100) combines six weighted signals: benchmark performance (25%), pricing efficiency (25%), context window size (15%), model recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and capability versatility (10%). Here's what the scores mean for these two models:
Scores 70/100 (rank #161), placing it in the top 45% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 70/100 (rank #160), placing it in the top 45% of all 290 models tracked.
With only a 0-point gap, these models are in the same performance tier. The practical difference in output quality is minimal - your choice should depend on pricing, latency requirements, and specific feature needs.
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking offers 56% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $5.25/month with ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking vs $12.00/month with Grok 3 Mini - a $6.75 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Higher benchmark score (0/100) indicates stronger performance on coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Faster response time (speed score 0/100) is critical for user-facing chat. ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (131K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($0.28/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (70/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking and Grok 3 Mini are extremely close in overall performance (only 0.20000000000000284 points apart). Your best choice depends entirely on which specific strengths matter most for your use case.
Best for Quality
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
56% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by Baidu
| Capability | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Callingdiffers | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Modediffers | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Web Searchdiffers | ||
| Image Output |
Baidu
xAI
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking saves you $0.6780/month
That's 59% cheaper than Grok 3 Mini at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 131K | 131K |
| Max Output Tokens | 65,536 | -- |
| Open Source | Yes | No |
| Created | Oct 9, 2025 | Jun 10, 2025 |
Grok 3 Mini scores 70/100 (rank #160) compared to ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking's 70/100 (rank #161), giving it a 0-point advantage. Grok 3 Mini is the stronger overall choice, though ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking may excel in specific areas like cost efficiency.
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is ranked #161 and Grok 3 Mini is ranked #160 out of 290+ AI models. Rankings use a composite score combining benchmark performance (25%), pricing (25%), context window (15%), recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and versatility (10%). Scores update hourly.
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking is cheaper at $0.28/M output tokens vs Grok 3 Mini's $0.50/M output tokens - 1.8x more expensive. Input token pricing: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking at $0.07/M vs Grok 3 Mini at $0.30/M.
ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B Thinking has a larger context window of 131,072 tokens compared to Grok 3 Mini's 131,072 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.