Which to choose
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General writing, study and file analysis | ChatGPT | Documented limits: 512MB per file, 80 files every 3 hours, 256K reasoning context on Plus |
| Following news and reactions on X | Grok | The consumer FAQ says Grok can search public X posts and the web in real time |
| One bill for AI chat, a coding editor and X Premium | Grok | Premium at USD 30 a month includes SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+ benefits |
| Team workspace with no training on your data | ChatGPT | Business and Enterprise content is not used for training by default |
| API with long generated answers | Grok | Grok 4.7 output costs USD 6 per 1M tokens, against USD 10 for GPT-6.1 Sol |
| Overnight bulk API jobs | ChatGPT | OpenAI's Batch and Flex prices are 50% lower; Grok 4.7 has no Batch API |
| Very long documents through an API | ChatGPT | GPT-6 models list 1,050,000 tokens of context, against 500,000 for Grok 4.7 |
Side by side
| Field | ChatGPT | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes; unlimited everyday text chats with GPT-6, limited uploads and images | Yes; limited chat and agent requests |
| Paid consumer plans | Go, Plus USD 20, Pro USD 100 or 200 a month (new Pro 200 sign-ups paused since 10 September 2026) | Plus USD 8, Premium USD 30, Super USD 100, Ultra USD 200 a month |
| How usage is sized | Per feature, by plan; Pro tiers add usage | One shared pool across Grok and Cursor; Premium 4x, Super 15x, Ultra 50x the Plus pool; refreshes weekly |
| App context | 27K (Free) and 54K (Plus) instant; 256K (Plus) and 400K (Pro) reasoning | |
| API flagship price | GPT-6.1 Sol: USD 2 input, USD 10 output per 1M tokens | Grok 4.7: USD 2 input, USD 6 output per 1M tokens |
| API context | 1,050,000 tokens | 500,000 tokens |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | Web (grok.com), iOS, Android, Grok on X |
| Training default (consumer) | Used unless you opt out | Used unless you opt out |
| Team plan | Business and Enterprise | Teams from USD 30 per user a month; Enterprise |
Prices as listed on 17 October 2026 on ChatGPT's pricing page, the ChatGPT Pro tiers article and SpaceXSI's pricing page. Grok prices exclude taxes such as VAT.
Who makes Grok now
Grok's developer has changed its name. The x.ai homepage is titled "SpaceXSI" and says "SpaceXSI builds Grok", and its footer reads "© 2026 SpaceXAI LLC". A 2 February 2026 post, xAI joins SpaceX, states that SpaceX acquired xAI. The API still lives at api.x.ai. The Grok consumer FAQ adds that SpaceXSI is a separate company from X Corp., which runs the X platform. That matters for privacy: Grok used inside X follows X's terms and privacy policy, while the Grok app and grok.com follow SpaceXSI's. Our SpaceXSI provider profile tracks the change.
The x.ai homepage described its developer as "SpaceXSI builds Grok" with a SpaceXAI LLC copyright line on 17 October 2026.
Grok vs ChatGPT on plans and bundles
The plans are built differently. ChatGPT sells AI plans: Free, Go, Plus at USD 20 a month according to the Plus help article, and Pro at USD 100 or 200 a month, with new Pro 200 sign-ups paused since 10 September 2026 per OpenAI's Pro tiers article.
Grok now sits inside The X Subscription, announced on 12 October 2026. The X Subscription announcement bundles Grok, Grok Bot, the Cursor coding editor and X Premium. Plus costs USD 8 a month, Premium USD 30, Super USD 100 and Ultra USD 200. The announcement says Premium covers the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+, which previously cost USD 90 a month combined. One pool of Grok usage is shared across the Grok apps, the Grok tab on X and Cursor, and the pricing page says the allowance refreshes weekly.
The catch is how usage is stated. Grok's tiers are multiples of the Plus pool (4x, 15x and 50x), not message counts. Third-party models in Cursor are billed separately at API list prices. If you would not use Cursor or X Premium, the bundle price is less of a deal. Existing SuperGrok subscribers can keep their old plan. For Cursor's rivals, see our AI coding tools ranking.
The X Subscription announcement on x.ai listed Grok Premium at USD 30 a month on 12 October 2026, including SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+ benefits.
Real-time X search
Grok's most distinctive feature is access to X. The consumer FAQ says Grok can search public X posts and run real-time web searches. ChatGPT also searches the web on every plan, according to its pricing page, but it is not built around X. If your work involves tracking reactions, breaking news or public figures on X, Grok has the direct line.
On the API, X Search is a server-side tool for Grok 4.7. Our Grok 4.7 profile lists X Search at USD 5 per 1,000 posts and USD 10 per 1,000 profiles returned, on top of token costs. The docs.x.ai Grok 4.7 page lists 150 requests per second and 50,000,000 tokens per minute.
SpaceXSI's consumer FAQ said on 17 October 2026 that Grok can search public X posts and perform real-time web searches.
API price and limits
At list price, Grok 4.7 and GPT-6.1 Sol charge the same for input, USD 2 per 1M tokens. Grok 4.7 charges USD 6 per 1M output tokens; GPT-6.1 Sol charges USD 10. For long answers, Grok is cheaper per token. Cached input runs the other way: USD 0.50 on Grok 4.7 against USD 0.10 on Sol.
Three limits push work back toward OpenAI. Grok 4.7 lists a 500,000 token context against 1,050,000 for GPT-6.1 Sol. Grok 4.7 does not support the Batch API, while OpenAI lists Batch and Flex at 50% off Standard. And Grok doubles its rates once a prompt reaches 200K tokens, while OpenAI's step comes at 272K input tokens. Grok also offers a US-only endpoint at 10% higher prices. Our GPT-6.1 Sol profile covers OpenAI's side.
The docs.x.ai Grok 4.7 page listed a 500,000 token context window and Batch API as not supported on 17 October 2026.
Data and privacy
ChatGPT. OpenAI's article on how your data is used to improve model performance says Free, Plus and Pro content may be used for training. Turn off "Improve the model for everyone" under Settings, Data controls to opt out; thumbs up or down feedback can still make a conversation eligible. Temporary chats are not used for training. OpenAI does not train on Business, Enterprise, Edu or API data by default.
Grok. The consumer FAQ says SpaceXSI may use your prompts and Grok's responses to train its models. You can opt out under Settings, Data Controls, "Improve the model" in the app, or Settings, Data on grok.com. Private Chat conversations are not used for training and are deleted within 30 days. Feedback sent after opting out may still be used. In some regions outside the EU and UK, people using Grok without logging in cannot opt out. Business and enterprise content is not used to improve models.
For the API, the SpaceXSI API security FAQ says it "never trains on your API inputs or outputs without your explicit permission". Requests are stored, encrypted, for 30 days for abuse auditing, and teams can turn on Zero Data Retention at the cost of features such as Batch, Files and stateful responses.
Run our AI tool privacy checklist before sharing client data with either.
Turn off model training before your first chat in either app; on both, the opt-out covers new conversations only.
How we compared them
For this ChatGPT vs Grok comparison, on 17 October 2026 we read ChatGPT's pricing page, OpenAI Help Center articles on Plus, Pro tiers, file uploads and data use, and the GPT-6.1 Sol API model page. For Grok we read the x.ai homepage, the pricing page, The X Subscription announcement, the xAI joins SpaceX post, the consumer FAQ, the Grok 4.7 model page and the API security FAQ. We compared documented plans, list prices, usage rules, context limits and data terms, then made editorial picks per use case. Facts match our Grok 4.7 and SpaceXSI profiles; the x.ai pricing page now confirms the plan prices that our provider profile had taken from the announcement. See how we rank.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grok cheaper than ChatGPT? At the entry tier, yes. Grok Plus costs USD 8 a month and ChatGPT Plus USD 20, though Grok sizes usage as multiples of its Plus pool rather than fixed limits.
Is Grok free? Yes, with limits. The X Subscription Free plan at USD 0 gives limited Grok chat and agent requests.
Is xAI still the company behind Grok? The same company, renamed. The x.ai site now brands it SpaceXSI, its footer names SpaceXAI LLC, and a February 2026 post says SpaceX acquired xAI.
Does Grok Premium include Cursor? Yes. The announcement says Premium includes the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+, previously USD 90 a month combined.
Can ChatGPT search X posts? Not as a dedicated feature. ChatGPT includes web search on every plan; Grok is the one built to search public X posts in real time.
Which has the longer context window? ChatGPT. OpenAI lists 1,050,000 tokens for its GPT-6 API models, against 500,000 for Grok 4.7.
Does Grok train on my conversations? It can, unless you turn off "Improve the model" or use Private Chat. Logged-out users in some regions outside the EU and UK cannot opt out.
Is Grok inside X covered by the same privacy rules? No. The consumer FAQ says Grok on X is governed by X's terms and privacy policy, not SpaceXSI's.
Which is better for students? ChatGPT, for most. It documents file limits, study mode and context per plan, and Plus costs USD 20 a month. Our sibling comparison of Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT covers another option bundled with Office apps.