Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has made its Grok 4 model freely accessible to all users around the world, just days after rival OpenAI launched its latest flagship model, GPT-5. Until now, Grok 4 was restricted to paying SuperGrok and X Premium subscribers.
Announcing the move in a post on X on Sunday, xAI said, “For a limited time, we are rolling out generous usage limits so you can explore Grok 4’s full potential.” The expanded access is aimed at attracting more users to the platform. However, Grok 4 Heavy described by xAI as its most advanced and resource-intensive version — will remain available only to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers.
Two Modes for Different Needs
Grok 4 offers two usage modes: Auto and Expert. In Auto mode, the system decides whether a user’s query needs advanced reasoning, allowing it to balance accuracy with speed while conserving computing power. Expert mode gives users full control, letting them manually switch to Grok 4’s highest reasoning capabilities for every query.
“Simply use Auto mode, and Grok will route complex queries to Grok 4. Prefer control? Choose ‘Expert’ anytime to always use Grok 4,” the company explained.
Expansion Efforts After New Features
The move comes shortly after xAI rolled out Grok Imagine, an AI-powered video generation tool, which is currently free for US-based users. The tool allows users to create videos from text prompts but has already faced controversy. According to a BBC report, some users exploited it to generate explicit content, including inappropriate depictions of celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney.
Also Read: Elon Musk Announces ‘Baby Grok’ After Grok 4 Backlash, Targets Kid-Friendly AI
Monetisation and Future Plans
Alongside the free access announcement, Musk revealed that ads will soon be integrated directly into the Grok chatbot interface. This marks part of xAI’s wider monetisation strategy, which aims to balance free access to core tools with premium features reserved for paying subscribers.
Since its launch, Grok has been positioned as a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with Musk promising that xAI’s tools will offer faster, more uncensored, and more innovative features than rival platforms.
Also Read: Elon Musk Unveils Grok 4: xAI’s Superintelligent Chatbot Aims to Redefine Artificial Intelligence