Grok vs ChatGPT: which is worth using?
Grok is the assistant built into X, with live search of X posts and image and video making. ChatGPT is the broader all-rounder with more ways to work and a cheaper path to an agent that browses for you.
Side by side
| Grok | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The assistant from Elon Musk's AI company, built into X, with live X search and, on higher plans, always-on 'Grok Bot' teammates. | OpenAI's chat assistant, which can now also browse the web and work on longer jobs for you on paid plans. |
| Price | Free: $0; Plus: $8/month; Premium: $30/month | Free: $0; Go: $8/month; Plus: $20/month |
| Free to try | Free plan with limits | Free plan with limits |
| Does the task itself | partly Grok Bot works on its own on Premium and up; plain Grok mostly answers | yes agent mode and Work tasks click through websites on paid plans; Free mostly answers and drafts |
| Its own email address | no not on the pages checked | no it can read and act on your connected Gmail, but has no address of its own |
| You can text it | no no SMS or WhatsApp number on the pages checked | no the WhatsApp number stopped working in January 2026 |
| Its own computer and browser | yes Grok Bot runs on its own persistent cloud computer (Premium and up) | partly agent mode uses a virtual browser; Dots get their own cloud computers on Pro and up |
| Remembers you | Remembers things across chats | Remembers facts and past chats across conversations; limited on Free, more on paid plans |
| Where it lives | web, iOS, Android, inside X; Grok Bot on Mac, Windows and iPhone | web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop apps |
Getting real tasks done
Grok mostly answers. Grok Bot, on Premium ($30 a month) and up, gives you AI teammates that work around the clock on their own persistent cloud computer, on Mac, Windows and iPhone.
ChatGPT's agent mode clicks through websites in a virtual browser from the $20 Plus plan (40 agent messages a month). Its always-on Dots, with their own cloud computers, are on Pro and up and still rolling out.
What each is good at
Grok searches live X posts and the web, talks by voice, and makes images and video with Imagine. Since October 2026 its plans bundle Grok, Grok Bot, the Cursor coding tool and X Premium, with one shared usage pool, so heavy use in one eats into the others.
ChatGPT writes, answers, reads files, makes images and talks by voice, with web, phone and desktop apps and a built-in browser in the desktop app.
What it costs
Grok: Free, Plus $8 a month, Premium $30 (first month $15), Super $100 (first month $50), Ultra $200 (first month $100). The intro prices are first-month offers only.
ChatGPT: Free, Go $8 a month, Plus $20, Pro from $100.
Safety and trust
CBS News reported that Grok still allowed non-consensual "undress" edits of real people's photos, and the EU opened an investigation. Keep that in mind if you'd share it with family.
OpenAI warns that ChatGPT's agent mode can be tricked by hidden instructions on websites. Neither one has an email address of its own or a number you can text.
Pick Grok if
- You use X every day and want answers from live posts
- You want image and video making in one app
- You want always-on bots and X Premium in one bundle
- You also want the Cursor coding tool
Pick ChatGPT if
- You want a well-rounded assistant for everyday work
- You want an agent that browses for you at $20 a month
- You'd share it with family
- You want web, phone and desktop apps with a built-in browser
Questions people ask
- Is Grok free?
- Yes, with limited use. Paid plans run from $8 to $200 a month, with lower first-month prices on Premium and up.
- Does Grok have an agent?
- Grok Bot, on Premium and up, runs AI teammates around the clock on their own cloud computer.
- Which is better for news?
- Grok searches live X posts as well as the web, which helps for what people are saying right now. Check anything important against a trusted source.
Updated 2026-11-08. Product facts from each maker's own pages: see Grok and ChatGPT for sources.
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