Grok
xAI's assistant in its own app and on X, free or from $8/month. No score yet: xAI doesn't say which model runs.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
People who use X and want an assistant there, or want chat, voice and image tools on one plan from $8 a month.
Best for: People who use X and want chat, voice and image tools on one plan (AI apps Top 20)
Skip it if
You want to know which model answers you; Claude and ChatGPT name theirs and have scores.
You give up: xAI names no model for any plan; usage limits are given only as multiples
The short version
- What this is
- xAI's AI assistant, in the Grok app, on grok.com and inside X, with chat, voice, image and video tools and real-time search.
- Why it matters
- It is built into X, but xAI doesn't say which model answers you or whether your chats train its models by default, so check Data Controls first.
- Free with limited chats; Plus $8/month, Premium $30/month, Super $100/month, Ultra $200/month s1 s2.
- xAI names no model for any plan; Premium says only 'Latest Grok models' s1.
- To keep chats out of training, turn off Improve the model in Data Controls, or use Private Chat s3.
Good at
Our take
Grok is xAI's assistant. It runs in its own app, on grok.com and inside X s3 s4, and xAI describes it as a chatbot with voice chat, image and video generation, real-time search and reasoning s1. It is free with "Limited Chat requests"; paid plans run from Plus at $8 a month to Ultra at $200 a month, with usage given as multiples of Plus s1 s2. The paid plans also change the ads you see: Plus lists "Less timeline ads", and Premium "Ad-free scrolling on most surfaces" s1.
We can't score it yet. Our rule scores an app on the best model each plan lets you choose, as the maker documents it. xAI's plan pages name no model; Premium says only "Latest Grok models" s1 s2. xAI's Grok 4.7 post lists Cursor, Grok Build and the API, not the Grok app s5. We score Grok 4.7 as a model on its own page.
On your chats: xAI says "You control whether your data is used for training Grok" but doesn't give the default s3. Turning off Improve the model stops new conversations being used; xAI doesn't say what happens to past ones s3. On X, a separate setting controls whether X shares your Grok interactions with xAI for training s4. Neither page says whether Grok chats shape the ads you see, and we could not read X's privacy policy, which blocks our reader.
Not scored yet
This is a First look: the call above comes from the maker's own pages, so there is no score yet. When xAI names the Grok model each plan uses, on its own plan or help pages, or when an independent test of the current app from the last 90 days is published.
ResearchWritingImages
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for research, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- ClaudeTop scoredApp80FreeScores 80 in research, first in our ranking; free. Scores 80 for coding and research on our checklist; its free plan runs Sonnet 5.5. Side by side
- ChatGPT (GPT-6)App60$20 a monthScores 70 for agents and coding on Plus, on our checklist. Side by side
- Grok 4.7Text model#16Agents$30 a monthOur scored page for xAI's latest model; xAI doesn't say the Grok app runs it. Side by side
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 5
- s1xAI pricing (Grok plans)
- s2xAI docs: subscription pricing
- s3xAI Consumer FAQs
- s4X Help Center: About Grok
- s5xAI: Grok 4.7
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 1 change
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- First look. Not rated: xAI does not say which Grok model any plan uses. Released date is when xAI's current plan page was last updated; Grok itself is older.
Use it well 3 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.