Versus comparison
Claude vs Grok
Long-form writing, careful analysis, document review, and coding assistance · 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 | Claude | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Long-form writing, careful analysis, document review, and coding assistance | 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 | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 |
Evidence status
Claude Free is $0. Pro is $17 per month with a $200 annual prepayment or $20 month-to-month. Max starts at $100 per month. Team supports 2–150 users and lists Standard seats at $20 per seat per month and Premium seats at $100 per seat per month. Enterprise is billed annually at a seat price plus usage at API rates.
Official sources checked 2026-08-25Open verification questions
- The official pricing page does not provide a single all-in Enterprise total because usage is billed separately at API rates.
- Sales-assisted Enterprise arrangements may have tailored pricing or contractual terms.
Anthropic's official pricing page states that Team content is not used for model training by default. Its March 16, 2026 consumer-training article says consumer chats and coding sessions may be used when the user allows such use. Consumer and commercial offerings are governed by different terms; the applicable terms should be checked for the account type.
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).
- claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 — rank #62, 1455±3 (79,668 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.x | Deepest reasoning, long documents | 1M (beta) | API premium tier; included in Max plans |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Daily driver: writing, code, agents | 200K-1M | Pro $20/mo; API ~$3/$15 per 1M |
| Claude Haiku | Fast lightweight responses | 200K | API budget tier |
- Sonnet 4.6 is the default for most paid users; check anthropic.com for current versions.
| 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.