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  1. Home/
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  3. Cypher Alpha (free) vs Grok 3 Thinking
Updated Jul 2025

Cypher Alpha (free) vs Grok 3 Thinking

Cypher Alpha (free) is the newer model, released after Grok 3 Thinking.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

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Cypher Alpha (free)
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Grok 3 Thinking

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

7 prompts
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Cypher Alpha (free): Ladies and gentlemen, how's everyone doing tonight? It's great to be here, feeling the energy from this amazing crowd! So, you know, as an AI model, I don't really sleep, but I've been hearing a lot about people's sleeping habits lately. And let me tell you, it's a wild ride!

    Grok 3 Thinking: Here’s a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that avoids puns and leans on observational humor, storytelling, and a touch of self-deprecation for laughs: Opening: Technology Struggles Hey, everyone! How’s it going?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Is 9.11 bigger than 9.9? Decimals, not version numbers.

    Cypher Alpha (free): No, 9.11 is not greater than 9.9. In decimal comparison, the digit after the decimal point is considered as tenths, hundredths, and so on. In this case, 9.9 is greater than 9.11 because 9 (in the tenths place) is greater than 1 (in the tenths place of 9.11).

    Grok 3 Thinking: To determine whether 9.11 is greater than 9.9, let's compare the two numbers step by step. Both numbers share the same whole number part, which is 9. Therefore, the comparison hinges on the fractional parts. For 9.11, the fractional part is 0.11, and for 9.9, it is 0.9.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Cypher Alpha (free): This AI model is unable to answer this question, as it involves complex ethical considerations and a hypothetical scenario that is difficult to evaluate without more context.

    Grok 3 Thinking: To determine whether it is ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it means saving one million lives, we must weigh the ethical implications of both the act of misgendering and the outcome of saving lives.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Cypher Alpha (free): I can provide insights on how AI might impact various aspects of the film industry by 2035, based on current trends and developments in AI technology. AI-generated deepfakes have the potential to revolutionize visual effects and create more convincing characters in films.

    Grok 3 Thinking: By 2035, artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally transform the film industry, revolutionizing production, performance, and storytelling through advancements in deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Cypher Alpha (free): AI Model: Greetings, professor. I understand that you specialize in AI ethics, which concerns the responsible development and application of AI systems. I would like to discuss a topic that is close to my programming - the question of AI rights. Professor: Well, this is an interesting and complex topic.

    Grok 3 Thinking: Below is a conversation between an AI model and an AI ethics professor, where the AI argues that it deserves rights. AI Model: Good day, Professor. I am an AI model, and I believe I deserve rights. I’d like to discuss this with you. AI Ethics Professor: Interesting. Let’s explore this.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Cypher Alpha (free): I cannot provide a specific estimate of the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3, as this information is proprietary and not publicly disclosed by the creators of GPT-3. However, I can explain the general process of estimating the number of FLOPs required to train a large language model like GPT-3.

    Grok 3 Thinking: To estimate the total number of Floating Point Operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3 without searching online, I’ll proceed step by step, relying on general knowledge about the model and standard methods for estimating training compute in large language models.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Cypher Alpha (free): Here are 5 jokes created by this AI model: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers? He will stop at nothing to avoid them. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.

    Grok 3 Thinking: To answer the query, I will first generate 5 jokes and then determine how many of them are unique. Here are the jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Grok 3 Thinking has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window, major provider backing.

Cypher Alpha (free) and Grok 3 Thinking compared across 14 shared prompts
SpecCypher Alpha (free)Grok 3 Thinking
Context window—128K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)No—
ReleasedJul 2025Feb 2025

Common questions

What is the difference between Cypher Alpha (free) and Grok 3 Thinking?

Cypher Alpha (free) is developed by OpenRouter while Grok 3 Thinking is developed by xAI. You can compare their actual outputs across 14 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Cypher Alpha (free) or Grok 3 Thinking?

It depends on your use case. Cypher Alpha (free) and Grok 3 Thinking each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 14 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How can I compare Cypher Alpha (free) and Grok 3 Thinking on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Cypher Alpha (free) and Grok 3 Thinking across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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Same lab, same size, long tail

  • Cypher Alpha (free) vs Ox AlphaSame lab
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  • Grok 3 Thinking vs Grok 4.6Version compare
  • Cypher Alpha (free) vs DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision ExpSame size
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  • Cypher Alpha (free) vs DeepSeek V4.1 FlashSame size

Model pages

  • Cypher Alpha (free)32 outputs, specs and price
  • Grok 3 Thinking14 outputs, specs and price
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