# Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 vs Step 3

> Step 3 is the stronger model overall, scoring 40.5 to 37.7 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/grok-2-mini-vs-step-3
- Last updated: 2026-10-12
- Shared benchmarks: 15

## Summary

- They share 15 benchmarks with published results for both. Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 scores higher in 0 categories and Step 3 in 8 categories; 8 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Step 3 leads 54.3 to 47.3.
- Step 3 has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 37.7 | 40.5 |
| Rank | 198 | 149 |
| Context | — | — |
| Input $/M | — | — |
| Output $/M | — | — |
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |

## Coding

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 37.0 (#199)
- Step 3: 40.1 (#147)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1269 | 1367 |

## Reasoning

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 24.8 (#159)
- Step 3: 28.4 (#105)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1255 | 1355 |
| Kagi LLM Benchmark | — | 62.3% |

## Math

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 35.4 (#185)
- Step 3: 37.6 (#148)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1265 | 1366 |

## Knowledge

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 33.9 (#200)
- Step 3: 36.8 (#164)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1238 | 1333 |

## Multimodal

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: —
- Step 3: 35.5 (#86)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Vision | — | 1177 |

## Multilingual

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 41.4 (#208)
- Step 3: 46.3 (#159)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1257 | 1327 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1262 | 1397 |
| LMArena German | 1273 | 1371 |
| LMArena Korean | 1195 | 1269 |
| LMArena Russian | 1261 | 1331 |
| LMArena Spanish | 1279 | 1371 |
| LMArena French | 1286 | — |
| LMArena Japanese | 1213 | — |

## Instruction Following

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 65.5 (#220)
- Step 3: 70.4 (#164)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1245 | 1332 |

## Long Context

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 38.4 (#196)
- Step 3: 40.3 (#157)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1266 | 1326 |

## Writing & Preference

- Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13: 47.3 (#211)
- Step 3: 54.3 (#151)

| Benchmark | Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1281 | 1350 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1242 | 1321 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1265 | 1341 |

## FAQ

### Is Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 better than Step 3?

Step 3 is the stronger model overall, scoring 40.5 to 37.7 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 or Step 3 better for coding?

Step 3 scores higher on coding benchmarks: 40.1 versus 37.0 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 and Step 3 share?

15 benchmarks have published results for both models. Grok 2 Mini 2024 08 13 has 17 scored results on Noometry and Step 3 has 17.