Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview vs Grok 4.6
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview (Google) and Grok 4.6 (xAI), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview |  Grok 4.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥357.4 | ¥357.4 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥2,144.4 | ¥1,072.2 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥1,430 | ¥894 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 500,000 tokens |
| Release date | 2/19/2026 | 8/12/2026 |
| Input modalities | audio, file, image, text, video | text, image, file |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | #15 · ELO 1,487 | #63 · ELO 1,456 |
| Arena · Japanese | #9 · ELO 1,494 | #68 · ELO 1,412 |
| Arena · coding | #28 · ELO 1,520 | #54 · ELO 1,506 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Grok 4.6: ¥1,072.2 per 1M output tokens, 50% less than Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview.
- On the Overall arena board, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ranks higher (#15; Grok 4.6 is #63).
- On the Japanese arena board, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ranks higher (#9; Grok 4.6 is #68).
- On the Coding arena board, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ranks higher (#28; Grok 4.6 is #54).
- For long documents, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview: a 1,048,576-token context window against 500,000 for Grok 4.6.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
There are **3** 'r's in the word 'strawberry'.
Here is the step-by-step breakdown of the spelling:
1. **s** - not an 'r'
2. **t** - not an 'r'
3. **r** - **1st 'r'**
4. **a** - not an 'r'
5. **w** - not an 'r'
6. **b** - not an 'r'
7. **e** - not an 'r'
8. **r** - **2nd 'r'**
9. **r** - **3rd 'r'**
10. **y** - not an 'r'
Therefore, the total count is 3.
5.3s503 output tokens
Grok 4.6
The word "strawberry" consists of the following letters in order:
s-t-r-a-w-b-e-r-r-y
Checking each one:
- s: not r
- t: not r
- r: yes (count = 1)
- a: not r
- w: not r
- b: not r
- e: not r
- r: yes (count = 2)
- r: yes (count = 3)
- y: not r
There are exactly 3 r's.
Final answer: 3
3.9s451 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
### The Cause
This error occurs because the `users` prop being passed to your `UserList` component is currently `undefined`.
In JavaScript, you can only use the `.map()` method on arrays. Because `users` is `undefined` (often due to data not finishing an API fetch yet, or the parent component forgetting to pass the prop), Node/React throws an error when it tries to read `.map`.
### How to Fix It
You can fix this in a few different ways, depending on how you want your application to behave.
#### Fix 1: Assign a Default Value (Recommended)
The cleanest way to handle this is to assign a default empty array to `users` in your component's parameters. If `users` is undefined, it defaults to…
13.2s1511 output tokens
Grok 4.6
**The error happens because `users` is `undefined` when `.map()` is called.**
`UserList` destructures `{ users }` from its props. If the parent doesn't pass a `users` prop (or passes `undefined`/`null`), `users` is `undefined` and `undefined.map` throws.
This is extremely common when:
- Data is loaded asynchronously (initial render happens before the fetch finishes).
- The parent component forgets to pass the prop or uses a different name.
- The component is rendered before the data is ready (e.g. in a loading state).
### Quick fixes
**1. Default to an empty array (recommended)**
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => (
<li key={us…
20.3s598 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Here is a review of your function. While the original code works, there are several areas where it can be improved regarding **best practices**, **readability**, and **performance**.
### 1. Refactored Code
Here is the improved version of your function. I will explain the specific changes below.
```python
import time
import requests
import logging
from typing import Any
# Optional: Set up a logger
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
def get_data(url: str, retries: int = 3, delay: int = 2, timeout: int = 10) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
"""
Fetches JSON data from a URL and extracts active items.
Args:
url: The API endpoint to fetch data from.
retries: Number o…
23.6s3094 output tokens
Grok 4.6
Here is a focused review of the function, followed by a cleaned-up version.
## Issues
**Imports inside the function**
`requests` and `time` should live at module level. Importing on every call is slower, hides dependencies, and is harder to mock in tests.
**Bare `except:`**
This swallows `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors. Catch `requests.RequestException` (network/timeout/HTTP adapter errors) and JSON/`KeyError`/`TypeError` separately.
**Retrying the wrong things**
A 404 or 400 will never succeed on retry. Retry transient failures (timeouts, connection errors, 429, 5xx). Fail fast on most 4xx responses.
**Sleep after the last attempt**
On the final failur…
27.9s1770 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview or Grok 4.6?
- Per 1M output tokens, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is ¥2,144.4 and Grok 4.6 is ¥1,072.2 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Grok 4.6 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Grok 4.6 compare?
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview takes 1,048,576 tokens; Grok 4.6 takes 500,000.
- Which ranks higher, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview or Grok 4.6?
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ranks higher on the public arena (Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview #9, Grok 4.6 #68). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Grok 4.6 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "gemini-3.1-pro-preview" or "grok-4.6" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Grok 4.6 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.