Model comparison
Claude 4.1 Opus vs Grok Code Fast 1
Head-to-head evidence from 2 shared benchmark results across 2 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Claude 4.1 Opus #142 (Supported); Grok Code Fast 1 #180 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Claude 4.1 Opus and Grok Code Fast 1 share 2 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 2 results are unique to Claude 4.1 Opus; 10 to Grok Code Fast 1.
Updated July 20, 2026- Shared results
- 2
- Claude 4.1 Opus only
- 2
- Grok Code Fast 1 only
- 10
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Pick Claude 4.1 Opus if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Grok Code Fast 1 only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you need the larger 256K context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 2 shared benchmark results across 2 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Claude 4.1 Opus is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 45.88 to 38.64. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Claude 4.1 Opus's sharpest advantage is in coding, where it averages 74.5 against 70.8. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 74.5% to 70.8%.
Claude 4.1 Opus is also the more expensive model on tokens at $15.00 input / $75.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.20 input / $1.50 output per 1M tokens for Grok Code Fast 1. That is roughly 50.0x on output cost alone. Grok Code Fast 1 gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 200K for Claude 4.1 Opus.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Claude 4.1 Opus | Δ | Grok Code Fast 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | Claude 4.1 Opus74.5 | Margin← 3.7 | Grok Code Fast 170.8 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 74.5%B 70.8%Winner: Claude 4.1 OpusΔ 3.7SWE-bench Verified: Claude 4.1 Opus scored 74.5%; Grok Code Fast 1 scored 70.8%. Claude 4.1 Opus wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Claude 4.1 Opus | Grok Code Fast 1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Claude 4.1 Opus$15 input / $75 output | Grok Code Fast 1$0.2 input / $1.5 output | Grok Code Fast 1 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Claude 4.1 Opus29 tok/s | Grok Code Fast 1172 tok/s | Grok Code Fast 1 has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Claude 4.1 Opus1.66 s | Grok Code Fast 12.81 s | Claude 4.1 Opus reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Claude 4.1 Opus200K | Grok Code Fast 1256K | Grok Code Fast 1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
CodingClaude 4.1 Opus wins2 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledge6 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude 4.1 Opus | Grok Code Fast 1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 28.2% | 21.6% | Claude 4.1 Opus leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | — | 72.7% | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | — | 7.5% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | — | -36.0% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | — | 23.8% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | — | 78.5% | Not comparable |
Multimodal1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude 4.1 Opus | Grok Code Fast 1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1209 | — | Not comparable |
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude 4.1 Opus | Grok Code Fast 1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | — | 41.4% | Not comparable |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Claude 4.1 Opus or Grok Code Fast 1?
Claude 4.1 Opus is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 45.88 to 38.64. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 74.5% and 70.8%.
Which is better for coding, Claude 4.1 Opus or Grok Code Fast 1?
Claude 4.1 Opus has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 74.5 versus 70.8. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Related Comparisons
Choose a model with this week’s evidence
Join 2,000+ readers for ranking moves, pricing changes, and the claims that still need proof.
One email each week. Unsubscribe anytime.