Grok 4.6 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Pricing, context window and real answers (October 2026)
Grok 4.6 (xAI) and MiniMax M3.1 Flash (MiniMax), 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
 Grok 4.6 |  MiniMax M3.1 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | MiniMax |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $2.20 | $0.1583 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $6.60 | $0.633 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | $5.50 | $0.4748 |
| Context window | 500,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Release date | 8/12/2026 | 10/19/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, file | text, image |
| Throughput (p50) | 96 tokens/s (n=26) | — |
| Arena · overall | #73 · ELO 1,454 | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | #85 · ELO 1,406 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #60 · ELO 1,509 | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's rates, before tax.
Rankings: LMArena leaderboard dataset (lmarena-ai/leaderboard-dataset), CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-10-15; category names mapped and ratings rounded by FastMetal.
Which should you pick?
- On price, MiniMax M3.1 Flash: $0.633 per 1M output tokens, 90% less than Grok 4.6.
- For long documents, MiniMax M3.1 Flash: 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.
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
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
1. Spell **strawberry**:
**s – t – r – a – w – b – e – r – r – y**
2. Count the letter **r**: it appears at positions **3, 8, and 9**.
**Total: 3 “r”s.**
3.0s193 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…
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
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
The error occurs because `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders. Calling `.map()` on `undefined` causes the `TypeError`.
This commonly happens when:
- `<UserList />` is rendered without passing the `users` prop.
- The prop has a different name, such as `user`.
- Data is still loading and the parent initializes its state as `undefined`.
- An API response is accessed before it exists.
### Immediate fix
Provide a default empty array:
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => (
<li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>
))}
</ul>
);
}
```
Then pass the actual data from the parent:
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState([…
7.3s744 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):…
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
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
The function is understandable, but it has a few important issues:
- `except:` catches programming errors such as `KeyError`, `TypeError`, and even `KeyboardInterrupt`.
- Every non-200 response is retried, including permanent failures such as 400, 401, and 404.
- It sleeps after the final failed attempt.
- Returning `[]` makes a failed request indistinguishable from a successful response containing no active records.
- A fixed delay can cause clients to retry simultaneously; exponential backoff and `Retry-After` are preferable.
- `item["active"] == True` should be `item.get("active") is True` if the API contract says it is a JSON boolean.
- A `Session` can reuse connections, while `requests…
146.5s
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Grok 4.6 or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
- Per 1M output tokens, Grok 4.6 is $6.60 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash is $0.633 on FastMetal (US dollars, before tax), so MiniMax M3.1 Flash is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Grok 4.6 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash compare?
- Grok 4.6 takes 500,000 tokens; MiniMax M3.1 Flash takes 1,048,576.
- Can I use Grok 4.6 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "grok-4.6" or "minimax-m3.1-flash" 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 Grok 4.6 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.