Versus comparison
Chatgpt vs Grok
General-purpose writing, research, analysis, and multimodal help · Coding and agentic work on the newest models, real-time X data answers, always-on Grok Bot agents, and building apps/sites in Build Mode
| Decision point | ChatGPT | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | General-purpose writing, research, analysis, and multimodal help | Coding and agentic work on the newest models, real-time X data answers, always-on Grok Bot agents, and building apps/sites in Build Mode |
| Category | General AI Assistant | General AI Assistant |
| Price | Free + paid plans | Free tier; SuperGrok $30/mo; SuperGrok Plus $100/mo; API from $1–$6 per 1M tokens |
| AIToolsEssentials score | 4.8/5 | 4.5/5 |
Evidence status
OpenAI officially lists ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise. Free is $0; paid self-service plans are billed per user per month, while Enterprise pricing is sales-assisted. Exact localized prices were not consistently exposed by the official pricing page during verification, so no unverified amounts are reported.
Official sources checked 2026-08-25Open verification questions
- Exact US-dollar prices for Go, Plus, Pro, and Business were not reliably retrievable from the official dynamic pricing page during this check.
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting OpenAI sales.
- Astra ChatGPT/API availability timing, any Astra-specific API token prices, and a public system-card URL were not confirmed as a published SKU on the official pricing page during the 2026-09-03 watch.
Official OpenAI sources confirm consumer and business plan availability. OpenAI's terms state that, as between the user and OpenAI and to the extent permitted by applicable law, users retain Input ownership and own Output. OpenAI's data controls documentation should be consulted for consumer training controls; business products and the API are covered by separate business-data commitments. 2026-09-03 watch: OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra. Official Path to Astra post (https://openai.com/index/path-to-astra/, 2026-09-01) designates Astra as the first model at Critical cybersecurity capability; advanced cyber workflows are limited at launch to trusted testers / Daybreak Blue. Axios reports limited Daybreak Access first, then ChatGPT Plus / Pro / Business / Enterprise and API developers in the coming days. This is not a new ChatGPT SKU. Plus/Pro plan prices were not confirmed as changed on 2026-09-03 and were not re-verified as dollar amounts on this date.
Grok Free is $0. SuperGrok is $30/month, SuperGrok Plus is $100/month, with higher tiers above. API (docs.x.ai, checked 2026-08-25): Grok 4.6 $2.00 input / $6.00 output per 1M tokens (500K context); prior Grok 4.3 $1.25/$2.50 per 1M. Voice API from $0.05/min; TTS $15/1M chars.
Official sources checked 2026-08-25Open verification questions
- Enterprise prices are not published and require a sales quote.
- Pricing or entitlements for Grok accessed through an X subscription were not treated as equivalent to standalone SuperGrok plans.
- The consumer terms require attribution under xAI's Brand Guidelines when using Output or xAI brand elements; applicability to a specific commercial use requires case-specific review.
xAI's consumer terms, effective June 26, 2026, state that users retain ownership rights in User Content to the extent permitted by law. Logged-in users can choose whether User Content is used for product improvement and model training; logged-out use may grant broader training rights where permitted. The standalone Grok service and Grok accessed through X are governed by different privacy policies.
External benchmark context
- grok-4.1 — rank #53, 1459±3 (66,382 votes; snapshot 2026-09-02).
- chatgpt-4o-latest-20250326 — rank #78, 1443±3 (80,696 votes; snapshot 2026-09-02).
Benchmark records apply only to the exact model/configuration shown—not the whole product. Independent same-task hands-on comparison: not yet published. See the testing protocol.
Current model lineup
Version names and prices move fast. This panel tracks what each product actually ships today, with checked dates — so the comparison stays about real models, not marketing names.
| Model | Role | Context | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.4 | Flagship reasoning + everyday assistant | ~400K | Included in Plus $20/mo; API per-token |
| GPT-5.4 Pro | Maximum-effort reasoning | ~400K | Pro $200/mo |
| GPT-5 mini / nano | Fast, cheap high-volume tasks | ~200K | API from ~$0.20/1M input |
- Verify current names at openai.com — OpenAI iterates point releases frequently.
- 2026-09-03: OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra. Official Path to Astra post designates it at Critical cybersecurity capability, with advanced cyber access gated to trusted testers / Daybreak Blue. Axios: limited Daybreak Access first, then ChatGPT Plus / Pro / Business / Enterprise and API in the coming days. It is not a new ChatGPT SKU and is tracked as a separate research watch. Plus/Pro plan prices were not confirmed as changed on this check.
| Model | Role | Context | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 4.6 | Flagship: code, long-running agents, visual work | 500K | $2 in / $6 out per 1M tokens |
| Grok 4.5 | Prior flagship: coding + agentic work | 500K | $2 / $6 per 1M tokens |
| Grok 4.3 | Cost-efficient reasoning | 1M | $1.25 / $2.50 per 1M tokens |
| Grok Build 0.1 | Fastest coding model (also inside Grok Build agent) | - | $1 / $2 per 1M tokens |
- Consumer plans: Free tier; SuperGrok $30/mo; SuperGrok Plus $100/mo.
- Products beyond the model: Grok Bot always-on agents, Grok Build coding agent with Build Mode apps, Grok Imagine image/video, Grok Voice.
- Grok 4.5/4.6 also available inside GitHub Copilot; subscriptions work in Warp, Kilo Code, OpenCode.
Lineups verified from official vendor pages; confirm before purchase.
How to decide
Match each platform to your actual workflow constraints. Run one real workflow in each finalist before paying.
Quick recommendation
Use the trial checklist on each review page and the free scorecard to record time-to-result, corrections needed, and monthly cost at your expected volume before committing to a plan.