ChatGPT vs Grok: which assistant to use

Grok vs ChatGPT is closer on features than on price: both offer a free plan, chat with voice, image creation and a coding agent. Beyond price, they differ in where each one searches and in how many plans sit between free and the top tier. This page compares them on facts from OpenAI's and xAI's own pages as of October 2026. xAI's September 2026 announcement of Grok 4.7 names the company SpaceXAI; we use xAI here because that is the domain its pages sit on.

Short verdict: who should pick which

• You want the lowest listed price: ChatGPT Go at $8 a month. SuperGrok is $30; xAI also lists a SuperGrok Lite tier, without a price, on its plan page.
• You follow what is happening on X: Grok. Its free plan lists real-time web and X search.
• You code: both have an agent. ChatGPT includes Codex on every plan, including Free. Grok Build runs on Grok 4.7 and xAI says you can try it for free.
• You work in Office or Google apps: both connect to Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive. ChatGPT adds Word, Excel and PowerPoint add-ins; xAI's docs list Grok connectors for Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Salesforce.
• You build on the API on a budget: Grok 4.7 costs $2 input and $6 output per million tokens. OpenAI's top model, GPT-6 Astra, is $10 and $50.
• You want a long API context: OpenAI lists 1.05M tokens for GPT-6 models. xAI lists 500K for Grok 4.7.

Not set on Grok? Our ChatGPT vs Claude and ChatGPT vs Gemini pages compare ChatGPT with the other two big assistants.

Feature table, from the vendors' own pages

Grok's paid plans draw from a single weekly usage allowance shared across every product, according to xAI's Grok overview. OpenAI describes ChatGPT Plus usage per five-hour window for Codex and agent work, with weekly limits that may also apply.

Which is better for writing, coding, research and images

Writing

Neither vendor publishes a writing benchmark we could quote, so treat this as a taste test. ChatGPT has more structure for repeat work: Projects, custom GPTs and scheduled tasks on Plus. Grok's strength is freshness: it can search X in real time while it drafts, which helps for news-driven copy. Run the first prompt below in both and compare. Our ChatGPT prompts library works in Grok too.

Coding

ChatGPT has the broader coding setup. Codex runs in a terminal, an IDE extension, the ChatGPT desktop app and the cloud; its CLI is open source under Apache-2.0, and Codex is included, with limited usage, on ChatGPT Free and Go. xAI says Grok 4.7 is its most powerful model for coding and knowledge work and that it is available in Grok Build and in Cursor. Cursor's own pricing page lists generous limits for Grok on its $20 Pro plan, so developers who already use Cursor can try Grok models there without a SuperGrok subscription. For a wider view of coding tools, see our AI coding tools page.

Research

For current events and public conversation, Grok's built-in X search is the reason to use it. For long reports and structured research, ChatGPT Plus lists expanded deep research and ChatGPT Work, an agent that can research across connected apps and files and produce documents and spreadsheets. Check claims from either one against the original source before you use them.

Images and video

Both create images. On Grok, image and video generation are listed from SuperGrok, with 1080p video on SuperGrok Plus. ChatGPT creates images on every plan, with limited use on Free, and its plan page does not list video. For prompt ideas that work in both, see AI image prompts.

Same prompt in both: run it and compare

We do not print outputs, because both vendors change models often. Copy each prompt, fill the blanks, run it in ChatGPT and in Grok, and compare.

I want you to act as a news researcher. Summarize what happened with [topic or event] in the last [number] days. Give me five bullet points, each with the date and the source it came from, then list two open questions that are still unclear. Mark anything you could not confirm.

I want you to act as a social media editor. Write three short posts about [announcement or product] for [audience]. Each post must be under [number] characters, use plain language, and end with a different call to action. No hashtags unless I ask.

The first prompt shows how each assistant handles recent events and sourcing. Check every date and link it gives you.

Pricing, plan by plan

US prices before tax. On the API, xAI charges $2 input and $6 output per million tokens for Grok 4.7 on prompts under 200K tokens and $4 and $12 above that. OpenAI charges $10 and $50 for GPT-6 Astra, $2 and $10 for GPT-6.1 Sol and $0.10 and $0.50 for GPT-6 Luna, with higher rates for prompts over 272K tokens. OpenAI paused new sign-ups for the $200 ChatGPT Pro tier on September 10, 2026. If you are looking past these two, our ChatGPT alternatives list covers more options.

For developers: the wider API lineup

xAI's model list shows a trade-off inside its own range. Grok 4.7, 4.6 and 4.5 have 500K-token context windows at $2 input and $6 output. Older Grok 4.3 and Grok 4.20 offer 1M tokens at $1.25 and $2.50, and Grok Build 0.1 has 256K tokens at $1 and $2. On OpenAI's side all three GPT-6 models list 1.05M tokens and 128K output, so the choice there comes down to price and capability. If you are comparing API providers more broadly, our OpenAI API alternatives page lists more.

FAQ

Is Grok better than ChatGPT?

For real-time X search and a cheaper flagship API, Grok is ahead. For a listed $8 entry price, Office add-ins and coding on a free plan, ChatGPT is ahead.

How much does Grok cost compared with ChatGPT?

Grok is free to start, then $30 a month for SuperGrok and $100 for SuperGrok Plus; xAI's plan page also lists SuperGrok Lite and SuperGrok Heavy without prices. ChatGPT is free, then $8 for Go, $20 for Plus and from $100 for Pro.

Can Grok write code like ChatGPT?

Yes. xAI offers Grok Build, powered by Grok 4.7, and Grok 4.7 is also available in Cursor. ChatGPT includes the Codex agent on every plan.

Is Grok free?

Yes. xAI's free plan lists real-time web and X search, voice mode and connectors. Image and video generation are listed from SuperGrok at $30 a month, and xAI says Grok Build can be tried for free.

Which is better for a work team?

OpenAI's Business plan lists SAML SSO, MFA and no training on business data by default, at $20 per user per month billed annually. xAI lists SOC 2 Type I and II compliance on its Free and SuperGrok plans and offers Business and Enterprise plans; their prices are not shown on xAI's plan page.