Elon Musk’s xAI Makes Grok 4 Free For All Users Days After OpenAI Unveils GPT-5

Elon Musk’s xAI has made Grok 4 free for all users, just days after OpenAI unveiled GPT-5. Initially available only to SuperGrok and X Premium subscribers, Grok 4 now offers expanded access to all users “for a limited time”.

“For a limited time, we are rolling out generous usage limits so you can explore Grok 4’s full potential,” xAI said in a post on X on Sunday. The newly launched GPT-5 is also freely accessible to all users worldwide.

In a bid to broaden its user base, xAI has made Grok 4 accessible with "generous limits" to all users globally. However, access to Grok 4 Heavy, xAI’s most advanced model, remains exclusive to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers. With the move, xAI is trying to reach more users while keeping its premium features under the subscription model.

In its post, xAI also said that users will be able to freely use both the auto and expert modes on the platform. “Simply use Auto mode, and Grok will route complex queries to Grok 4. Prefer control? Choose ‘Expert’ anytime to always use Grok 4,” it said.

Grok 4 offers two modes: Auto and Expert. In Auto mode, the AI decides if a prompt needs deeper reasoning, balancing speed and efficiency. This mode is faster and is said to conserve computing power and other resources compared to consistently using high-level processing. Expert mode lets users manually switch Grok 4 into reasoning mode if they're unsatisfied with the initial response.

Last week, xAI also launched Grok Imagine, an AI video generation tool, free for all US-based users. Notably, the Grok Imagine features sparked controversy shortly after launch, as users reported being able to generate explicit videos on the platform. A few users claimed that they were able to create inappropriate videos of celebrities like Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney, according to a BBC report. 

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has also announced his plans to introduce ads directly within the Grok chatbot interface. This strategy is said to be a part of his new monetisation plan for xAI’s platform.