xAI Grok Models: Real-Time Intelligence Meets Fastest Coding Speed
TL;DR
- Grok code fast 1: 92 tokens/sec—fastest coding model, designed for "flow state" development (314B MoE)
- Grok 4: Unique real-time web + proprietary X platform integration—only model with live social data
- Grok 4 Heavy: First model to score 50% on "Humanity's Last Exam"—frontier expert-level reasoning
- Strategy: Speed-first coding + real-time data access—xAI's unique competitive moat
xAI's strategy focuses on two distinct niches: extreme speed for developer-in-the-loop coding, and unparalleled real-time information access for general-purpose tasks.
This guide breaks down both Grok 4 and Grok code fast 1, their unique capabilities, and when to use each model.
Grok code fast 1: The "Flow State" Coder
Release Date: August 28, 2025
Architecture: 314B MoE | Context: 256K | Output: 10K | Speed: ~92 tokens/sec
Grok code fast 1 is xAI's specialized model for agentic coding, built from scratch with a brand-new architecture.
Built from Scratch: Not a Distilled Model
This model is not a distilled or smaller version of Grok 4. It was "built from scratch" with a "brand-new model architecture". It is a massive 314 billion-parameter Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model.
Key Insight
Its impressive speed is a result of architectural and serving optimizations, not a reduction in size. This allows it to maintain frontier-level performance while delivering unmatched throughput.
Specialized Training: Real PRs & Practical Tasks
It was pre-trained on a programming-rich corpus and post-trained on "real pull requests" and "practical coding tasks". It has "mastered the use of common tools like grep, terminal, and file editing".
The "Flow State" Niche: 92 Tokens/Second
Tokens Per Second
Fastest coding model in production
The Purpose of Speed
"It's not long enough for you to context switch... but fast enough to keep you in flow state."
xAI's strategy with this model is to optimize for developer-in-the-loop interaction speed over achieving the absolute highest benchmark score, enabling a more fluid and iterative workflow.
Benchmark Performance
| Benchmark | Score | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-Bench Verified | 70.8% | Real-world bug fixing |
| LiveCodeBench | 80.0% 🏆 | Algorithmic coding challenges |
This positions it as a "fast frontier" model—slightly behind Sonnet 4.5 and Codex in raw accuracy, but significantly faster in practical use.
Grok 4: The Real-Time Generalist
Context: 256K | Output: 10K
The General-Purpose Model with Real-Time Data Access
Grok 4 is the general-purpose model. On coding benchmarks like LiveCodeBench, the generalist Grok 4 scores 79.0%, which is slightly lower than the specialized Grok code fast 1's score of 80.0%.
Unique Feature: Real-Time Data Integration
Grok 4's defining non-coding capability—its strategic moat—is its native and deep integration with real-time information. While other models are trained on static datasets with knowledge cutoffs (e.g., Haiku's is February 2025), Grok 4 was trained with reinforcement learning to "use tools" to access live data.
Web Search
It can "choose its own search queries" to find real-time information from the web—no static knowledge cutoff.
X Platform Integration (Proprietary)
Grok 4 has a unique, proprietary ability to perform "advanced keyword and semantic search" deep within the X platform. It can even "view media" on the platform to answer queries.
Example: Successfully finding a "popular post from a few days ago about this crazy word puzzle," a task impossible for models without this live, proprietary data access.
Grok 4 Heavy: Frontier Reasoning
xAI's SOTA reasoning claim centers on the "Humanity's Last Exam" (HLE) benchmark, a "Deep expert-level benchmark at the frontier of human knowledge".
First Model to Score 50% on HLE
Grok 4 Heavy (multi-agent variant)
AIME 2025 (Math)
94.6%
GPQA Diamond (PhD Science)
85.7%
Voice Mode with Vision
Grok 4 also supports an enhanced "Voice Mode" that allows a user to enable their video camera, allowing Grok to "see what you see" and provide live analysis during a voice conversation.
Grok 4 Fast: Efficiency Variant
A "Grok 4 Fast" variant also exists, with a "non-reasoning" version for simple tasks like summarization and a "reasoning" version optimized for efficiency, using "~40% fewer thinking tokens" than the full Grok 4.
When to Use Each Grok Model
Use Grok code fast 1 When:
- ✓ Speed is critical—you need to stay in "flow state" during development
- ✓ Iterative, developer-in-the-loop coding sessions
- ✓ Prototyping and rapid feature development
- ✓ You value "good enough fast" over "perfect slow"
Use Grok 4 When:
- ✓ You need real-time information from the web or X platform
- ✓ Monitoring social trends or recent events
- ✓ General reasoning, research, and analysis tasks
- ✓ Voice-based interactions with visual context
Using Grok Models with CodeGPT
CodeGPT provides seamless access to both Grok 4 and Grok code fast 1 directly in VS Code through OpenRouter.
- Experience 92 tokens/sec speed directly in your IDE
- Switch between Grok code fast 1 and Grok 4 based on task type
- Combine with other models: Use Grok for speed, Claude for frontend, Codex for backend
- Built-in BYOK support for xAI API keys
Ready to Experience 92 Tokens/Second?
Get instant access to xAI's Grok models with CodeGPT's unified interface.
Get Started with CodeGPT