GPT-5 vs Grok 4: Where Each AI Model Excels (And Where It Doesn’t) - QABYTE

Based on the search results, I can provide a comprehensive comparison of Musk’s Grok 4 and OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5 performance across multiple benchmarks and capabilities.

Current Status and Claims

Both models launched within weeks of each other in July-August 2025, with Elon Musk directly challenging OpenAI’s latest release. Musk claimed that “Grok 4 Heavy was smarter 2 weeks ago than GPT5 is now” when GPT-5 was unveiled in August 2025.

Academic Performance Benchmarks

Humanity’s Last Exam (HLE)

This comprehensive 2,500-question benchmark spans over 100 disciplines from humanities to quantum chemistry:

Grok 4: 25.4% without tools, 38.6% with tools
Grok 4 Heavy: 44.4% with tools
GPT-5 comparison: While specific GPT-5 scores on HLE aren’t directly provided, earlier models like OpenAI’s o3 achieved 21% without tools and 24.9% with tools

Graduate-Level Science Questions (GPQA)

Testing PhD-level scientific understanding:

Grok 4: 87% accuracy
GPT-5 Pro (with Python): 89.4% accuracy
GPT-5 (with Python): 87.3% accuracy

Mathematics Performance

American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME):

Grok 4: 100% perfect score
GPT-5: Specific AIME scores not provided in available data

Coding and Software Engineering

SWE-bench Verified (Real-world GitHub Issues)

GPT-5: 74.9% accuracy
Grok 4: Specific performance data not available in search results

General Coding Capabilities

GPT-5: Described as “state-of-the-art across key coding benchmarks” with 88% on Aider polyglot
Grok 4: Shows strong performance but specific coding benchmark scores not detailed

Key Differentiating Features

Grok 4 Advantages

Real-time data access through X (Twitter) integration
Perfect mathematics scores on competition-level problems
Collaborative AI agents in Grok 4 Heavy variant for enhanced problem-solving
Cultural fluency and less restrictive content policiesvktr

GPT-5 Advantages

Reduced hallucinations by 78-84% compared to previous versions
Superior coding performance on real-world software engineering tasks
Thinking mode for enhanced reasoning capabilities
Better safety and factual accuracy with only 4.8% production traffic errors vs previous models

Pricing and Accessibility

Grok 4: Requires X Premium+ subscription ($16/month), with SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month
GPT-5: Available to all ChatGPT users including free tier users

Expert and User Reception

The performance comparison remains contested, with xAI claiming Grok 4 as the “most intelligent model in the world” while OpenAI positions GPT-5 as offering “PhD-level expertise”. Independent verification of some benchmark claims is still pending, particularly for Grok 4’s Humanity’s Last Exam results.

Both models represent significant advances in AI capabilities, with Grok 4 excelling in mathematics and real-time information processing, while GPT-5 shows superior performance in coding tasks and maintains better safety standards with reduced error rates.