What Grok is best at
- Real-time news, markets and social sentiment
- People who live on X and want AI in the timeline
- Blunt answers with fewer refusals
Where it isn’t the answer
Careful long-form work and corporate settings - the edgy register cuts both ways.
Plans & pricing
The story so far
- Nov 2023Grok 1 launches as the anti-corporate assistant
- 2024-2025Rapid catch-up releases; Grok 3 goes frontier-class
- Jul 8, 2026Grok 4.5 ships with deeper real-time X grounding
- Aug 12, 2026Grok 4.6 arrives with a 500K window for long-running agents
- Sep 2026Grok 5 is still unreleased - xAI’s own model list stops at 4.6
Questions people actually ask
What makes Grok different?
Live access to X. Every other assistant reads the web with a delay; Grok reads the conversation as it happens.
Is Grok good for serious work?
It is stronger than its reputation. Grok 4.6 is frontier-class and its 500K window suits long agent runs, but its register still suits research and news better than formal writing.
When is Grok 5 coming out?
Nobody outside xAI knows. It has been confirmed as in training since January 2026 and has slipped past several rumoured windows. Treat every published spec sheet for it as speculation.
How much does Grok cost?
It comes bundled with X subscriptions: basic access on Premium (around $8/month), full access on Premium+ (around $40/month).