Grok 3 Mini vs Command R

Compare Grok 3 Mini and Command R: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Grok 3 Mini Command R
CategoryCompactOpen Source
Parameters~70B35B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.03/1M tokens$0.03/1M tokens
Output Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.06/1M tokens
Latency~200ms~250ms

Choose Grok 3 Mini when:

  • ✓ Fast queries
  • ✓ Temple chatbots
  • ✓ General Q&A
Key Strengths:

Cost-efficient, Good reasoning, Fast

Choose Command R when:

  • ✓ RAG applications
  • ✓ Q&A systems
  • ✓ Content generation
Key Strengths:

Good RAG, Cost-efficient, 128K context

Verdict: Grok 3 Mini vs Command R

For cost efficiency, Command R wins at $0.03/1M input tokens. For speed, Grok 3 Mini is faster at ~200ms. Grok 3 Mini excels at Fast queries while Command R is better for RAG applications. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Grok 3 Mini costs $0.03/1M input tokens and $0.08/1M output tokens. Command R costs $0.03 input and $0.06 output. Both models are similarly priced. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Grok 3 Mini has a 128K context window with ~200ms latency. Command R offers 128K context at ~250ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Grok 3 Mini (Compact) is optimized for: Fast queries, Temple chatbots, General Q&A. Command R (Open Source) works best for: RAG applications, Q&A systems, Content generation.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Grok 3 Mini
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="grok-3-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Command R
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="command-r",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Grok 3 Mini or Command R?

Grok 3 Mini (Compact, ~70B) offers Cost-efficient. Command R (Open Source, 35B) offers Good RAG. Choose Grok 3 Mini for Fast queries or Command R for RAG applications.

How much does Grok 3 Mini cost vs Command R?

Grok 3 Mini: $0.03/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Command R: $0.03/1M input, $0.06/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Grok 3 Mini and Command R by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.