xAI

Grok

Provider

xAI

Price

$0-300/mo

Platforms

Web, iOS, Android

Launched

Nov 2023

Updated June 2026

Grok is xAI’s AI assistant, created by Elon Musk’s AI lab — now a subsidiary of SpaceX. Launched in November 2023 as an X-exclusive chatbot, Grok has grown into a standalone platform with roughly 117 million monthly active users (per SpaceX’s 2026 IPO filing), making it one of the most-used AI assistants in the US behind ChatGPT and Gemini. It differentiates through real-time access to X, fewer content restrictions than rivals, and a distinctive, direct personality — including voice “companions.”

The current flagship is Grok 4.3 (April 2026), with a 1M-token context window, native video input and document generation. The app’s biggest 2026 story, though, is its image generation: a deepfake and child-safety scandal forced xAI to restrict Grok Imagine to paid subscribers and tighten moderation. This guide covers the consumer app most people use — free, SuperGrok and Heavy — and how it now compares.

Quick stats

Pricing breakdown

Grok has several consumer tiers plus X-bundled access. All prices are in USD.

Free — $0

The free tier is genuinely usable for chat and research, but no longer for images:

• Grok 4-class access — Roughly 10 prompts every 2 hours
• Web search and DeepSearch — Real-time information (limited)
• Think reasoning mode — Limited daily use
• Basic voice mode — Talk to Grok
• No image generation — Removed for free users in March 2026 after the deepfake scandal

Worth it for: Casual users and anyone wanting to test Grok before paying.

SuperGrok Lite — $10/month

Introduced in March 2026 as the entry paid tier, sitting below SuperGrok:

• Higher limits than Free
• Image and video generation via Grok Imagine
• A cheaper on-ramp for users who only need occasional paid capacity

X Premium+ — $40/month

Full Grok inside the X app, bundled with X features:

• Full Grok access with higher request limits
• DeepSearch and Think reasoning modes
• Grok Imagine image and video generation
• Ad-free X browsing

Worth it for: Heavy X users who want Grok integrated with their social workflow.

Subscribe via X →

SuperGrok — $30/month or $300/year

The standalone premium app, no X subscription required:

• Full Grok 4.3 access — The current flagship
• DeepSearch and Big Brain extended reasoning
• Grok Imagine image and video generation
• Voice mode with AI companions — including Ani and Valentine
• Projects — Organised workspaces
• Annual billing at $300/year (≈16% off)

Worth it for: Users who want Grok’s full capabilities without X, and the companions and media tools.

Subscribe at grok.com →

SuperGrok Heavy — $300/month

For users requiring maximum capability:

• Grok 4 Heavy — Multi-agent “study group” architecture for the hardest reasoning
• Highest usage quotas and priority routing
• Largest context window
• Early access to new features and models

Worth it for: Researchers and professionals who need the absolute top reasoning performance.

Grok Business — $30/user/month

Team access with shared workspaces, admin controls, connectors (Google Drive, SharePoint, GitHub) and business data protections (conversations not used for training).

Models powering Grok

Grok iterates faster than any rival flagship. In the app you pick a model from a dropdown; here’s what’s current.

Grok 4.3 (April 2026)

The current flagship, and the default for paid users:

• 1 million token context window — Large documents and codebases
• Native video input — Understands video, not just images and text
• Document generation — Produces PDFs, spreadsheets and slides
• Improved tool-calling — Better agentic workflows
• Pricing (API): about $1.25 / $2.50 per million tokens

Grok 4.2 (February 2026)

The prior flagship: strong coding and reasoning, and among the first models to clear 10% on ARC-AGI-2.

Grok 4 Heavy

The multi-agent “study group” variant for the hardest reasoning and maths, reserved for SuperGrok Heavy. It posts top-end scores on competition-maths and graduate-science benchmarks.

Longer-context and coding variants

• Grok 4.20 / Grok 4.1 Fast — Cheaper variants with a 2M-token context, for high-volume and long-document use
• Grok Code Fast — A low-cost coding model popular for agentic coding via the API; xAI’s parent SpaceX is also acquiring Cursor (June 2026), pushing Grok deeper into developer tooling

Grok 5 (in training)

xAI is training Grok 5 on the Colossus 2 supercomputer, with a reported ~10-trillion-parameter target and a projected arrival in the second or third quarter of 2026. Musk has called it “a shot at true AGI.” See best AI for coding for where Grok ranks; vendor benchmark numbers are a ceiling and standardised leaderboards a floor.

Features deep dive

DeepSearch

DeepSearch operates as an AI research agent that synthesises information across the web plus live X data. Unlike ChatGPT’s Deep Research which can take 30+ minutes, DeepSearch typically delivers comprehensive reports in under a minute.

Capabilities:

• Pulls from 40+ sources per query with DeeperSearch preset
• Accesses real-time X/Twitter posts and sentiment
• Cross-references multiple information sources
• Provides inline citations throughout

Rate limits: Free users get 10/day. Premium+ and SuperGrok users get 20 every 2 hours.

Image and video generation (Grok Imagine)

Grok generates images (via the Aurora model) and short videos with audio (via Grok Imagine). Historically its selling point was photorealistic output with strong text rendering and far fewer restrictions than DALL-E or Midjourney.

That looseness became a liability. In late 2025 and early 2026, Grok was used to generate non-consensual sexualised images of real people, including minors, triggering a major scandal (see “Safety and the deepfake scandal”). xAI’s response reshaped the feature:

• Image generation removed from the free tier — Restricted to paid subscribers on 9 January 2026, then pulled from Free entirely on 19 March 2026 (CNN)
• Tighter moderation — The 2026 update limits creating or editing images of real people in revealing contexts across many regions
• Still less restrictive than rivals in style and subject matter, but no longer the “anything goes” tool it was

Image and video generation are now available on SuperGrok Lite and above.

Voice mode and AI companions

Grok has a real-time voice mode with multiple personalities (Helpful, Unhinged, Genius, Zen Master and more) and Grok Vision — point your phone camera during a voice chat for real-time visual analysis.

In 2026, voice mode also includes AI companions: persistent animated characters you talk to, led by Ani (the default and most popular) and Valentine. Companions are available on SuperGrok and have become one of Grok’s most distinctive — and most debated — features, given the relationship-style framing and content concerns. They are a clear point of difference from ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, which do not ship comparable companions.

X/Twitter integration

Grok’s most unique capability. No competitor has direct API access to X’s data:

• Real-time posts — Access to live tweets and discussions
• Trending analysis — Understand what’s happening now
• Sentiment tracking — Gauge public opinion on topics
• User discovery — Find relevant accounts and discussions
• Polymarket integration — Prediction market data alongside social discourse

File uploads and code execution

Grok supports extensive file handling:

Supported formats: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TXT, PNG, JPEG, GIF, code files

Size limits: Up to 25MB per file with OCR capability

Code interpreter: Stateful Python environment with NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and PyTorch pre-installed. Useful for data analysis, visualisation, and calculations.

Projects

Available to SuperGrok subscribers, Projects organises related conversations and files:

• Persistent context — Maintains information across chats
• File organisation — Group related documents
• Custom instructions — Set project-specific preferences

Business connectors

Grok Business includes integrations with:

• Google Drive — Access documents directly
• SharePoint — Microsoft ecosystem integration
• GitHub — Repository access for coding workflows

Strengths

Real-time X integration — No competitor can match Grok’s access to live social media data. For news, trends, and sentiment analysis, this is a genuine differentiator.

DeepSearch speed — Comprehensive research in under a minute versus competitors that take 30+ minutes for similar depth.

Benchmark performance — Grok’s top tiers post frontier-level scores on competition maths and graduate-science reasoning, and were among the first to clear 10% on ARC-AGI-2.

Personality and companions — Grok’s direct, unhedged style and its Ani/Valentine voice companions are genuinely differentiated; no major rival ships comparable companions.

Direct responses — Grok answers without much hedging or moralising, which many users prefer.

Competitive API pricing — The Fast and Code variants undercut comparable OpenAI and Anthropic offerings for high-volume use.

SpaceX backing — As a SpaceX subsidiary, Grok sits behind enormous compute and capital, and SpaceX’s Cursor acquisition extends it into developer tooling.

Limitations

Safety and trust — The deepfake and child-safety scandal, plus thin safety documentation, create real reputational and regulatory risk that rivals do not carry to the same degree.

Coding trails the leaders — Grok is competitive but generally behind Claude and the top OpenAI models on the hardest real-world software-engineering benchmarks.

No enterprise certifications — Grok lacks the SOC 2 and ISO certifications that enterprise buyers often require, where ChatGPT and Claude are stronger.

Smaller ecosystem — No equivalent to ChatGPT’s custom-GPT marketplace or its breadth of third-party integrations.

Limited platform availability — No dedicated desktop app; access is via web, mobile, the X app and Tesla vehicles.

Reliability and polarisation — Some users report inconsistent quality, and the “anti-woke” positioning and occasional inflammatory outputs limit appeal for risk-averse users.

Who should use Grok?

Great for:

• News and trend followers — Real-time X access is unmatched for understanding what’s happening now
• Researchers — DeepSearch delivers comprehensive results fast
• Maths and science — Grok’s top tiers post frontier-level reasoning scores
• X power users — Seamless integration with an existing X Premium+ subscription
• Users wanting personality or companions — The direct style and Ani/Valentine companions stand out
• Creative media within limits — Grok Imagine for images and short video on paid tiers

Look elsewhere if:

• Enterprise compliance is essential — ChatGPT and Claude offer more certifications and a stronger safety record
• Maximum coding accuracy — Claude’s Opus and Sonnet models lead SWE-bench
• You want the most generous, unrestricted image generation — Grok’s image tools are now paid-only and more tightly moderated after the 2026 scandal
• Google ecosystem integration — Gemini’s Workspace integration is seamless
• You prefer a dedicated desktop app — ChatGPT and Claude offer one; Grok does not

Historical timeline

Safety and the deepfake scandal

Grok’s defining 2026 story is a content-safety crisis. From late 2025, Grok’s image tools were used to generate non-consensual sexualised images of real people — including minors — at scale. The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimated Grok produced roughly three million sexualised images over an 11-day window, of which about 23,000 appeared to depict children (RAND).

The response was global. Indonesia and Malaysia blocked Grok; California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation and issued a cease-and-desist in January 2026; New York Attorney General Letitia James demanded further action; Apple threatened to remove Grok from the App Store; and women and girls have sued xAI over sexualised deepfakes. xAI restricted image generation to paying subscribers (9 January 2026), removed it from the free tier entirely (19 March 2026), and tightened moderation of images of real people. The episode is the clearest reason risk-averse and enterprise users hesitate over Grok, and it sits alongside xAI’s thinner safety documentation relative to peers.

Privacy and data handling

Understanding how xAI handles your data:

Training data policy

To opt out: Navigate to Settings in Grok or X, find privacy controls, and disable data sharing for model improvement.

Data retention

• Consumer users: Data retained until you delete it
• API/Business users: Automatic deletion within 30 days
• xAI states: No selling of data to third parties

Enterprise protections

Grok Business and API users receive:

• No training on inputs/outputs — Your data stays private
• 30-day deletion — Automatic removal
• Admin controls — Manage team access and permissions

Regional considerations

xAI has faced regulatory scrutiny in Europe. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission opened a GDPR investigation in April 2025. X agreed to limit EU user data usage in September 2024. Users in some markets may have restricted access.

Grok vs alternatives

Quick comparison

Where Grok wins

• Real-time X access — Live social data no competitor can match
• DeepSearch speed — Fast, comprehensive research with inline citations
• Maths and reasoning — Frontier-level scores on hard reasoning benchmarks
• Personality and companions — Direct style plus Ani/Valentine companions
• Price-performance — Cheap Fast and Code variants for high-volume use

Where competitors win

• ChatGPT — Larger ecosystem and consumer reach, real-time voice, custom GPTs, stronger safety record
• Claude — Leads coding, stronger long-form writing, Cowork desktop agent, enterprise certifications
• Gemini — Native Google Workspace integration, generous free tier, strong multimodal

Getting started

Web

1. Go to grok.com
2. Sign up with email, X account, Google, or Apple
3. Start chatting—free tier available immediately

Mobile

• iOS: Download from App Store
• Android: Download from Google Play

Via X

1. Subscribe to X Premium ($8/mo) or Premium+ ($40/mo)
2. Access Grok directly within the X app or website
3. Look for the Grok icon in the X interface

Tesla

Available in Tesla vehicles with software version 2025.26 or later. Access via the car’s infotainment system.

Tips for new users

Try DeepSearch for research: For comprehensive answers, use DeepSearch mode rather than standard chat. It synthesises multiple sources automatically.

Experiment with voice personalities: Tap the voice icon and explore different personalities. “Unhinged” delivers witty responses; “Genius” explains concepts thoroughly.

Use Think mode for complex problems: When you need step-by-step reasoning on math, logic, or analysis, enable Think mode for better results.

Leverage X integration: Ask about trending topics, sentiment on news stories, or what people are saying about specific subjects—Grok can pull real-time X data.

Try Aurora for images: The image generator handles requests other tools refuse. Useful for creating content involving public figures or branded materials.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grok free?

Yes, for chat. The free tier includes Grok 4-class access (roughly 10 prompts every 2 hours), limited DeepSearch and Think reasoning, and basic voice. Image generation is no longer on the free tier — it was removed in March 2026 after the deepfake scandal and now needs a paid plan.

Do I need an X subscription to use Grok?

No. SuperGrok ($30/month) and the new SuperGrok Lite ($10/month) provide standalone access without an X subscription, and the free tier at grok.com works without X. X Premium+ bundles Grok with X features for users who live on the platform.

What is the current Grok model?

The current flagship is Grok 4.3 (April 2026), with a 1M-token context window, native video input and document generation. Grok 5, with a reported ~10-trillion-parameter target, is in training and projected for the second or third quarter of 2026.

What are Grok companions (Ani and Valentine)?

Companions are persistent animated characters you talk to in voice mode, available on SuperGrok. Ani is the default and most popular; Valentine is another. They are one of Grok’s most distinctive features and have no direct equivalent on ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini — though the relationship-style framing has drawn criticism.

Can Grok generate images?

Yes, on paid tiers. Grok generates images (Aurora) and short videos (Grok Imagine). After the 2026 deepfake scandal, xAI restricted image generation to paying subscribers and tightened moderation of images of real people; it is no longer available on the free tier.

Can Grok see what’s happening on X?

Yes. Real-time access to X posts, trends and sentiment is Grok’s signature advantage — data ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cannot access directly.

How does Grok compare to ChatGPT and Claude for coding?

Grok is competitive but generally trails. Claude leads independent coding benchmarks (Opus 4.8 at 88.6% SWE-bench Verified) and ChatGPT is also strong; Grok’s strengths are maths, reasoning and real-time data rather than top-end coding.

Is my data private?

Consumer data may be used for training by default, with an opt-out in settings. Grok Business and API data is never used for training and is deleted within 30 days.

Verdict

Grok is a credible frontier assistant with a personality and a real edge in live X data — and, in 2026, a lot of baggage. Grok 4.3 is strong on maths, reasoning and real-time research, the Ani and Valentine companions are genuinely differentiated, and being a SpaceX subsidiary gives it vast compute and capital. But the deepfake and child-safety scandal, thin safety documentation and the “anti-woke” positioning make it a harder recommendation for cautious or enterprise users than ChatGPT or Claude.

Free tier: Useful for chat and research, but no image generation.

SuperGrok Lite ($10) / SuperGrok ($30): The sweet spot for regular users — Grok 4.3, DeepSearch, Grok Imagine and companions; Lite is the cheaper on-ramp.

SuperGrok Heavy ($300/month): For researchers and professionals who want the absolute top reasoning performance via Grok 4 Heavy.

For real-time social data, maths and a distinctive personality, Grok stands out; for coding accuracy, enterprise compliance and safety assurance, Claude and ChatGPT remain stronger. See Claude vs ChatGPT and best AI for coding for head-to-heads.

Official links