xAI Expands Grok 4 Access to Free Users, Challenging GPT-5 Amid AI Competition

Why xAI is giving you 'limited' free access to Grok 4

Elon Musk's AI start-up xAI has made its latest model, Grok 4, available to all users -- both paid and unpaid. Grok now automatically opens in Auto mode for users of the chatbot's free tier, meaning the system automatically determines whether or not a given query needs Grok 4's advanced reasoning capabilities, or if a more limited model will be up to the job (a similar approach to what OpenAI's new GPT-5 model aims to do). Users can also manually select "Fast" mode, which generates responses more quickly using Grok 3, or "Expert" mode, which exclusively uses Grok 4, taking more time to come up with higher-quality responses. Also: GPT-5 bombed my coding tests, but redeemed itself with code analysis The company announced the "limited" release in an X post on Sunday, though it didn't specify the number of messages that unpaid users could exchange with the chatbot over a given time period or any other restrictions. "For a limited time, we are rolling out generous usage limits so you can explore Grok 4's full potential," the post read. Even Grok 4 itself was uncertain about the rules. "Exact limits for Grok-4's free tier are unclear, as xAI hasn't publicly detailed them, and they may vary by region or account type," the chatbot wrote when I asked about the limits of the free access period. "To be safe, expect around five to 10 messages per 12 hours with Grok-4 on the free tier, but you might hit the limit sooner if you use complex queries or during peak times." When xAI unveiled Grok 4 last month, Musk described it as "the world's most powerful AI model," claiming it outperformed frontier models like Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro and OpenAI's 4o on several key benchmarks, including Humanity's Last Exam. Also: How Google's Genie 3 could change AI video - and let you build your own interactive worlds Subscriptions to Grok's subscription tiers, SuperGrok and SuperGrok Heavy, still cost $30 per month and $300 per month, respectively. By temporarily making Grok 4 available to all users, xAI appears to be angling in part to get its new model into the hands of as many people as possible -- a tactic ZDNET senior editor Sabrina Ortiz has been tracking. A percentage of those people may be impressed enough by the new model's abilities that, when they hit the limits of the free access window, they'll decide that it's worth upgrading to a paid subscription. xAI also plans to introduce ads into Grok's responses to help pay for the high costs of running and refining the model, the Financial Times reported Thursday. Also: You can try Gemini Live in your favorite Google apps now, and it blew me away Musk announced in another X post Sunday that xAI users can now "long press" -- holding down on an icon for longer than just the usual quick tap of the thumb -- on any image to pull up an option to turn it into a video using AI. This could also ultimately be a play to draw in advertisers: Amazon recently debuted a similar AI-powered text-to-video feature. The temporary release of Grok 4 to unpaid users comes just days after OpenAI -- with whom Musk has long had a very public squabble -- released GPT-5 to all users at once, a new approach for the company. Also: GPT-5 bombed my coding tests, but redeemed itself with code analysis As of Monday, GPT-5 occupied the top spot in multiple critical categories (including text-generation, vision, and coding) on LMArena, an online platform where users can rate and compare the performance of large language models. OpenAI's o3 model also defeated Grok 4 in the final round of Google Game Arena's chess tournament last week. Grok 4, however, outperformed GPT-5 by a hair in the ARC-AGI-2 -- a test designed to gauge AI models' high-level reasoning capabilities -- though at a much higher cost ($2.17 per task vs. $0.73 per task).

Grok 4 is free for a limited time, as xAI competes with GPT-5

Grok users, paying or not, have unlimited access to the new Grok 4 model for a limited time, xAI announced on Aug. 10 -- a move to remain competitive as its fellow AI companies launch increasingly advanced models and generative AI tools. "Simply use Auto mode, and Grok will route complex queries to Grok 4. Prefer control? Choose 'Expert' anytime to always use Grok 4," xAI wrote in an announcement posted on X. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. As xAI vies for a larger user base, the company may be trying to poach disgruntled ChatGPT users following the launch of OpenAI's GPT-5. On platforms like Reddit, many ChatGPT users have complained that GPT-5 feels less humanlike and is a little more careful in the way it approaches its relationships with users. After facing a backlash, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the company will re-release its previous model, GPT-4o, allowing other AI companies to step in with less-controlled alternatives. Early tests of Grok 4, which launched on July 9, showed it's an impressively advanced model, surpassing competitors like DeepSeek and Claude, but the model's apparent lack of guardrails also suggests the new bot could pose safety concerns for users. A Mashable investigation showed that xAI's new generative AI image tool, Grok Imagine, failed to meet basic safety standards, allowing users to create sexual deepfakes. You can start using Grok 4 now in the Grok iOS and Android app, or via the X website. While on auto mode, the chatbot will evaluate whether or not a prompt requires the extended responses of Grok 4 or the quicker feedback of Grok 3. Users can also select the "Expert" setting to get answers from Grok 4. The company will also be expanding its usage limits for users to accommodate the new model. Further information on free tiers for Grok 4 has yet to be provided.

Grok 4 Now Free for All Users | AIM

In the 'Auto' mode in Grok, only complex queries are routed to Grok 4, whereas the 'Expert' mode directs all queries to Grok 4. xAI, the AI company founded by Elon Musk, announced that its latest and most powerful model, the Grok 4, is available for free to all users worldwide. In the 'Auto' mode in Grok, only complex queries are routed to Grok 4, whereas the 'Expert' mode directs all queries to Grok 4. Musk, in a post on X, stated that this free tier allows a limited number of queries per day, with anything beyond that requiring a subscription to the platform. The $30 monthly plan allows full access to Grok 4's capabilities, whereas the $300 per month plan offers access to Grok 4 Heavy, the higher-performance variant. Besides, Grok 4 is also available on Perplexity Pro, which was made available for free for 12 months across all Airtel network users in India. T

Elon Musk's xAI opens Grok 4 access to free tier as GPT-5 backlash grows - SiliconANGLE

Elon Musk's xAI opens Grok 4 access to free tier as GPT-5 backlash grows Elon Musk's xAI Holdings Corp. has made the latest version of its artificial intelligence model, Grok 4, free to all users, albeit with usage caps, as controversy continues around OpenAI's GPT-5 model. Grok 4 made its debut on July 10 with improved reasoning, faster response times and broader multimodal capabilities compared with earlier versions. By the numbers, Grok 4 is competitive with, and in some cases surpasses, rival models such as OpenAI's GPT-5 and Anthropic PBC Claude 3.5 in reasoning benchmarks and speed, but until now, it needed a paid subscription to access. According to an announcement from xAI, free users can now access Grok 4 by using auto mode, with Grok routing complex queries to Grok 4. To trigger Grok 4 directly, users can choose "expert" anytime to always use Grok 4. The post also added that "For a limited time, we are rolling out generous usage limits so you can explore Grok 4's full potential." Exactly what those limits are, though, is unclear. According to reports, the limit could be as little as five queries a day or ten messages per 12 hours, although Grok itself, when asked, says that "the current limits are more generous but temporary," referencing the announcement from xAI. Alongside making Grok 4 available to non-paying users, xAI has also made Grok Imagine, xAI's AI image-to-video generation tool, is free for all users in the U.S. for a limited time. Grok Imagine competes with OpenAI's Sora and Google LLC's Veo 3 and is available on iOS and Android platforms. Notably, the 15-second videos made by the tool include sound, a feature OpenAI's Sora is yet to match. "The free rollout is likely a strategic move to boost adoption, gather user feedback and compete with rivals like OpenAI's GPT-5," the Grok AI told SiliconANGLE when asking about details of the free offering. "xAI aims to convert free users to paid subscribers by showcasing Grok 4's capabilities, such as advanced reasoning, multimodal inputs (text, voice, images), and real-time information retrieval." While Elon Musk and xAI may have always intended to roll out Grok 4 access for free users, the timing is interesting and could be more than a coincidence, as it comes as a significant number of OpenAI users express dissatisfaction with GPT-5. On Reddit and social media, users have described GPT-5 as sterile, overly cautious and lacking the creativity of its predecessor. One user labeled GPT-5 as a "corporate beige zombie," reflecting sentiment that the model has lost its charm and connection with long-time ChatGPT users. OpenAI has responded by reinstating GPT-4o access for Plus subscribers and increasing rate limits for GPT-5 Thinking, but the way GPT-5 was rolled out and Sam Altman's and OpenAI's disconnect with its user base make it an ideal time for competitors to pitch their alternative offerings. Whether intentional timing or coincidence, the net result of xAI making Grok 4 free, even with limited use rates, is offering an alternative to unhappy ChatGPT users.

Grok 4 is now available to free tier users

xAI has expanded its Grok 4 artificial intelligence model to all global users, regardless of subscription status, as of Sunday. This initiative provides broader access to the AI model, which was initially released last month. The Grok 4 model, previously exclusive to paid subscribers, is now accessible to individuals utilizing the free tier of the platform. This expansion permits free tier users to engage with Grok 4's Auto and Expert modes. The Auto mode automatically assesses prompts to determine whether additional processing is required for a more accurate or detailed response, or if a faster, default response is sufficient. The Expert mode grants users manual control, allowing them to activate a more intensive reasoning mode when they perceive Grok's initial response as insufficient. Grok 4 Heavy, the most performant model within the Grok 4 family, remains exclusively available to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers. Furthermore, Grok Imagine's image and video generation capabilities are not accessible to users outside the United States. xAI's decision to expand access to Grok 4 follows OpenAI's release of its GPT-5 AI model to all registered users just days prior. The official xAI account on X announced the global availability of Grok 4, emphasizing that free tier users would receive "generous usage limits" for a limited duration to explore the large language model. This announcement occurred three days after Elon Musk, owner of xAI, made the Grok Imagine video generation feature available to all US users without charge. Paid subscribers will continue to benefit from higher rate limits across all Grok models and features. Last week, Elon Musk discussed plans during a Spaces discussion to integrate advertisements within Grok's interface, encompassing both its website and mobile applications. This move aims to establish a new revenue stream for the chatbot, which currently generates income primarily through subscriptions and application programming interfaces. Musk cited the necessity of funds to cover the operational costs associated with the "expensive" GPUs that power Grok.

You Can Now Use Grok 4 AI Model for Free, No Need for Subscription

So far, the AI model has only been available to paid subscribers xAI expanded the company's latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, Grok 4, to all users on Sunday. The model, released last month, was previously only available to paid subscribers. With this expansion, those on the free tier will be able to use Grok 4's Auto and Expert mode, while Heavy continues to be exclusive to the SuperGrok Heavy users. Interestingly, xAI's expansion comes just days after OpenAI released its GPT-5 AI model to all registered users. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of xAI announced that Grok 4 is now available to all users globally. The AI firm also highlighted that for a limited period, those on the free tier will get "generous usage limits" to explore the company's latest large language model (LLM). Notably, the announcement came just three days after xAI owner Elon Musk made the Grok Imagine video generation feature available to all US users for free. Users on the free tier can access Grok 4's Auto and Expert modes What will be available to those who have not subscribed to either SuperGrok or X Premium plans? xAI is offering Grok 4's Auto and Expert modes. Auto mode is a smart mode that automatically determines whether the requested prompt requires an additional reasoning budget to generate a more accurate and elaborate response, or if the fast mode is sufficient. The Expert mode gives users manual control to switch to reasoning mode when they feel Grok's default response is inadequate. However, free users will not have access to Grok 4 Heavy, the most performant model in the AI model's family. Additionally, unless users reside in the US, they will also not have access to Grok Imagine's image and video generation capabilities. Paid subscribers will also continue to get higher rate limits across all the models and features. Last week, Musk shared plans in a Spaces discussion to show ads within Grok's interface, across the website and mobile apps. Currently, apart from subscriptions and application programming interfaces (APIs), there is no revenue stream for the chatbot, and ad integration creates a new avenue for the company. The billionaire entrepreneur said funds were needed to pay for the "expensive" GPUs that power Grok. Based on what Musk said, ads will be integrated within Grok's answers and suggestions. He did not explain whether these ads will be displayed with visible labels to inform users or not.