gpt-oss-20b vs Grok 4.6
At a Glance
| Compare |  gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | Grok 4.6xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort | #21 of 4664.1 score · 3/3 sources · complete |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort | #22 of 44$0.097 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort | #16 of 3856.7 score · 3/3 sources · complete |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.030Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $2.00Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.13Openrouter ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $6.00Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 131K | 500K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
| Benchmark | gpt-oss-20b | Grok 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,287.3290% of row best · rating · gpt-oss-20b; 95% CI [1280.92242279, 1293.71473349]; votes 10393; rank 246 | 1,429.86100% of row best · rating · grok-4.6-high; 95% CI [1424.03688750, 1435.69279464]; votes 15521; rank 87 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above | 0 benchmark winsNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | gpt-oss-20b | Grok 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | OpenAI | xAI |
| Family | Gpt Oss | Grok 4 |
| Model | gpt-oss-20b | Grok 4.6 |
| Version | gpt-oss-20b | Grok 4.6 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | Unknown | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | 2026-02-01 |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 131K | 500K |
| Total parameters | 20.9B | Unknown |
| Active parameters | 3.6B | Unknown |
| License | apache-2.0 | Unknown |
| Open weights | Yes | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard), Groq (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard), Together Ai (Serverless, Standard) | Xai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, tools |
gpt-oss-20b Capabilities
Grok 4.6 Capabilities
Related Comparisons
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|---|---|---|---|
gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | vs | Grok 4.5xAI | cross-developer peerstext |
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gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | vs |  Qwen3.8-MaxQwen | cross-developer peerstext |
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 MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs | gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | cross-developer peerstext |
gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | vs |  GLM-5.3Z.ai | cross-developer peerstext |
gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | vs |  Hy4 previewTencent | cross-developer peerstext |
Seed 2.1 ProByteDance Seed | vs | gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | cross-developer peerstext |
 Mistral Large 3Mistral AI | vs | gpt-oss-20bOpenAI | cross-developer peerstext |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
gpt-oss-20b vs Grok 4.6 FAQs
Is gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both gpt-oss-20b and Grok 4.6, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
gpt-oss-20b is $0.030 and Grok 4.6 is $2.00 per million tokens, so gpt-oss-20b is cheaper on this metric. gpt-oss-20b is $0.13 and Grok 4.6 is $6.00 per million tokens, so gpt-oss-20b is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
Grok 4.6 has the larger sourced context window. gpt-oss-20b supports 131K and Grok 4.6 supports 500K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6 be self-hosted?+
gpt-oss-20b is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. gpt-oss-20b is open weight; Grok 4.6 is not marked open weight.
Can gpt-oss-20b and Grok 4.6 understand images?+
gpt-oss-20b is not documented with image input; Grok 4.6 is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. gpt-oss-20b is — and Grok 4.6 is —.
Do gpt-oss-20b and Grok 4.6 support reasoning and tool use?+
gpt-oss-20b: reasoning and tool calling. Grok 4.6: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
gpt-oss-20b has 5 sourced provider routes; Grok 4.6 has 1, so gpt-oss-20b has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, gpt-oss-20b or Grok 4.6?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.