Grok
by xAI
xAI's conversational AI assistant with real-time search and developer agent tools
Last reviewed 2026-06-20
Grok is xAI's conversational AI assistant, available as a chatbot at grok.com, in the iOS and Android apps, inside X (formerly Twitter), and via the xAI API. The consumer product answers questions, generates images and short videos (Grok Imagine), supports voice conversations, analyzes files and images, and pulls live information from the web and X through DeepSearch. It runs on xAI's proprietary Grok model family (Grok 4.x as of 2026), including a 'Heavy' tier that uses a multi-agent architecture to run several reasoning processes in parallel on hard problems. Grok's autonomy is feature-dependent. The everyday chat, search, voice, and generation experience is assistant-grade: it responds when asked and does not take independent action. xAI has, however, shipped agentic developer surfaces: an Agent Tools API that lets Grok models call server-side tools (web search, X search, code execution, document retrieval) in a tool-use loop, and grok-build-0.1, an agentic coding model with a Grok Build CLI for multi-step software workflows. Those developer features are best described as supervised agents, not fully unattended automation. Grok targets consumers, X subscribers, and developers.
What it can do
Answer questions in conversational chat
AssistantA general-purpose chatbot that answers questions, writes, summarizes, and reasons over user prompts across web, app, and X surfaces.
sourceSearch the live web and X (DeepSearch)
AssistantPulls real-time information from the web and X posts and synthesizes an answer; DeepSearch runs a broader research-style pass than a quick reply.
sourceGenerate images and short videos (Grok Imagine)
AssistantProduces images and short text-to-video and image-to-video clips on request via Grok Imagine.
sourceHold voice conversations
AssistantA spoken voice mode (with a camera mode that can describe a live visual scene) for hands-free interaction.
sourceRun server-side tools via the Agent Tools API
SupervisedDevelopers can let Grok models call server-side tools (web search, X search, code execution, document retrieval) inside a tool-use loop to complete multi-step tasks; the developer defines guardrails and reviews output.
sourceAgentic coding with grok-build-0.1 and the Grok Build CLI
SupervisedAn agentic coding model that, via the Grok Build CLI, reportedly plans, writes, refactors, and iterates on code across multi-step workflows, with the developer intervening when needed.
source
Strengths
- +Strong real-time awareness from native web and X (Twitter) search
- +One product spans chat, voice, image and video generation, and a developer API
- +Frontier-class reasoning models with a multi-agent 'Heavy' tier for hard problems
Limitations
- −The consumer app is an assistant, not an autonomous agent; agentic features live mostly in the developer API
- −Proprietary, single-vendor model with no model choice (unlike multi-model rivals)
- −Content moderation and tone have drawn criticism, and top tiers (Heavy) are expensive
Overview
Grok is xAI's conversational AI assistant. It is available as a web chatbot at grok.com, in the iOS and Android apps, inside X (formerly Twitter), in some Tesla vehicles, and through the xAI API. It runs on xAI's proprietary Grok model family (Grok 4.x as of 2026). xAI was founded in 2023 by Elon Musk and a team of AI researchers, and it later merged with X.
What it does
The everyday product is an assistant: it answers questions, writes and summarizes, reasons through problems, holds voice conversations (with a camera mode that can describe a live scene), generates images and short videos via Grok Imagine, and analyzes uploaded files and images. Its differentiator is real-time awareness: DeepSearch pulls live information from the web and from X posts. A 'Heavy' tier uses a multi-agent architecture to run several reasoning processes in parallel on hard problems, which is a model-internal technique, not an agent that takes actions in the world.
For developers, xAI has shipped agentic surfaces. The Agent Tools API lets Grok models call server-side tools (web search, X search, code execution, document retrieval) inside a tool-use loop, and grok-build-0.1 is an agentic coding model that, via the Grok Build CLI, reportedly plans, writes, and iterates on code across multi-step workflows. These are supervised: the developer defines guardrails and reviews results.
Integrations & setup
Grok is built into X and ships as standalone iOS and Android apps and a web app. The xAI API is OpenAI-SDK compatible, supports function calling, structured outputs, file uploads / RAG, and the server-side Agent Tools. Models are xAI's proprietary Grok family only; there is no third-party model switching.
Pricing
Freemium. A free tier exists, with paid access via X Premium and Premium+ subscriptions and standalone SuperGrok plans (SuperGrok reportedly from around $30/month, with a much more expensive Heavy tier), plus usage-based API pricing for developers. Specific prices and limits change frequently; figures here are reported, not official quotes.
Best for / not for
Best for users who want a capable chatbot with strong real-time web and X awareness, plus image, video, and voice in one product, and for developers who want a fast frontier model with built-in server-side tools. Less suited to anyone who needs fully unattended task automation in the consumer app, who wants to choose among multiple underlying models, or who is sensitive to the product's moderation and tone tradeoffs.
Alternatives
ChatGPT (and its ChatGPT Agent mode), Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are the closest general-assistant rivals; Perplexity is the closest comparison for live, cited web search.
What people are saying
We aggregate real LinkedIn discussion into sentiment for the agents people search most. Grok isn't tracked yet, want it added? Request tracking.
FAQ
Is Grok an autonomous agent?+
Mostly no. The Grok app and X chatbot are assistant-grade: they respond when asked and do not act on their own. xAI has shipped agentic developer surfaces (the Agent Tools API for server-side tool calling, and grok-build-0.1 with the Grok Build CLI for coding), which are best described as supervised agents that a developer configures and reviews.
What models power Grok?+
xAI's proprietary Grok family (Grok 4.x as of 2026), including reasoning and non-reasoning variants, a multi-agent 'Heavy' tier, and grok-build-0.1 for agentic coding. Grok is single-vendor: it does not switch to third-party models.
How much does Grok cost?+
There is a free tier. Paid access comes via X Premium / Premium+ subscriptions and standalone SuperGrok plans (SuperGrok reportedly from around $30/month, with a much pricier Heavy tier), plus usage-based API pricing for developers. Exact prices change; check xAI for current rates.
Sources
- xAI - Creators of Grok, the AI Chatbot · accessed 2026-06-20
- xAI Docs - Overview · accessed 2026-06-20
- xAI API - Frontier Models for Reasoning & Enterprise · accessed 2026-06-20
- Grok (grok.com) · accessed 2026-06-20
Last reviewed 2026-06-20