I finally got Grok 4 on my iOS app, but it costs either $30/mo or $300/mo. Not available on X.

I’ve been playing around with the Grok API for a side project recently, and I’m shocked at how expensive it is to use. I also feel like its price to performance is not really competitive.

My little app Grok has only 15 users, but is costing me about 50 cents a day to keep running. That nuts for something I’m offering for free! Looking for feedback too. I'm having fun developing it.

Just when I made the decision to switch from paying ChatGPT $20 to Grok4 $30 per month and all the sudden they changed the price on me just like that? This is crazy.

xAI posted that Grok 4 is free for all users worldwide for a limited time, with Auto mode routing tougher prompts to Grok 4 and an “Expert” option to force it every time. The announcement also mentions generous but temporary usage limits so people can explore the full model during the promo window. Screenshots circulating show the in‑app banner and the Auto/Expert guidance alongside short clips of users trying it on coding and research tasks, which lines up with xAI’s push to get hands‑on comparisons against other flagship models.

Here’s how it works in practice. Opening Grok on X or the Grok app now defaults to Auto; simple prompts may run on a lighter path, but anything complex should escalate to Grok 4 without extra steps. Switching to Expert locks Grok 4 for every query, which power users will prefer if they don’t want the router second‑guessing. Expect rate limits—xAI calls them “generous,” but they’ll still cap heavy runs and high‑volume testing. The separate Heavy/“generative usage” options tied to paid tiers aren’t part of this free flip, so advanced multi‑agent features will still feel gated.

If the goal is a real‑world trial, try a small battery of tasks: a multi‑file code refactor, a math or data reasoning chain that needs tool use, and a long‑context research summary with citations. Run once on Auto, once on Expert, and note latency, correctness, and how often it asks for clarifications. Share failures too—router misfires and rate‑limit edge cases matter as much as wins when the promo ends.

Some rate-limited free-tier or some initial credits, whatever

If there still is such a thing, how do i get it? I couldn't find it in the website, yet grok/perplexity/gpt claim it does have it. They all never work for these kinds of questions tbh (documentation and pricing)

Hey everyone.

I’m thinking about trying out Grok, but I’m not sure about the $30/month price tag. For those who’ve used it, do you think it’s worth the money? How useful is it in daily life, especially for things like getting information, doing analysis, or anything else? I’d really appreciate your experiences and thoughts. thanks in advance

While ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini subscription are $20/month only? What is Grok's premium selling point? Perhaps xAI could bring it down to $25.

More details: https://x.ai/news/grok-4-1-fast

For the next two weeks, all xAI Agent Tools will be FREE of charge. During this same period, Grok 4.1 Fast will also be available for free, exclusively on OpenRouter.

I am quite deceived to be honest. My benchmarks involved:

(For info open ai o3 successfully passed all these tests since now 2/3 months)

• Analyze a PDF from my company's complex timetable and extract the right data for each employee: it just tells me my pdf is mostly empty and he can't OCR it etc...

• Gave him a picture of a pretty famous monument in my city and asked him where this pic was taken: failed miserably, it said confidently that it was another monument in a city 200km away.

• Gave him a picture of a car plate (from 🇬🇬 guernsay island) and asked him which country is this car plate from. Told me it was from... italy. Italian plate don't even look 10% the same!!!

• Asked him to write me a story in an african dialect that 40 million people speak: it did it but made a lottt more errors than gemini 2.5 pro & o3 which wrote the story more like a native would have, with less grammatical errors.

• Gave him a prompt to build a simple website that uses JS to generate a whatsapp widget that can be embedded into websites + an image of the existing site to copy, which shows all the layout: gemini 2.5 pro, claude & chat gpt o3 & deepseek, all 4 did it pretty good, functional. Grok failed miserably again (the widget generator doesn't work, the live preview of the widget doesn't display etc) and on top of that: made the most mediocre designs compared to all the other LLMs.

Feeling scammed right now...

Grok 4 is dropped like a bomb and according to several benchmarks it beats other frontier models in reasoning. However not specifically designed for coding, yet. So I'm wondering anyone has already tried it with success? Is worth paying 30/mo to for their `Pro` API? How's the usage cost comparing with Sonnet 4 on Cursor?

10 requests every two hours for supergrok.

Feels like a joke. IT IS UNUSABLE.

What it should be instead:

-Daily limit of 120 or

-2 hour limit of 50

I have usage-based pricing disabled (so I am on the old 500 request per month system), which I know will go away soon, but I noticed grok-4 is available, and when I hover over it, I don't see any cost associated with it. And in my limited use of it, it seems pretty good! After I used it I checked my usage on the dashboard and I didn't see it go up, but maybe there's a delay.

Anyone here who paid for a full year of Grok 3? Do they get Grok 4 or are they stuck?

TL;DR

Grok 4 Fast just launched today (Sept 22, 2025) from xAI – the ultra-fast, cost-crushing AI beast with a massive 2M token context window! It's 40% more token-efficient than rivals, multimodal for text+images, and splits into "reasoning" (deep thinks) vs "non-reasoning" (blazing speed) modes. Beats GPT-4o on speed/cost, matches Gemini's context but crushes pricing. Perfect for devs, researchers, and creators – here's how to unleash it like a pro. (Free tier on OpenRouter; premium via xAI API.)

The Dawn of Affordable AI Superpowers: Why Grok 4 Fast is About to Flip the Script on Big Tech (And How You Can Ride the Wave)

xAI is shipping and is catching up to top models like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Imagine an AI that doesn't just think like a genius, but does it at warp speed, for pennies, while juggling entire novels' worth of context in one go. No more "sorry, I forgot the plot from page 47" moments. Today, xAI (Elon Musk's truth-seeking squad) dropped Grok 4 Fast – and it's not just another model; it's a revolution in making elite AI accessible to everyone, not just Fortune 500 wallets. This isn't hype; it's the tool that'll empower indie devs, solo researchers, and dream-chasing creators to outpace the giants. Buckle up – we're diving deep into what makes it tick, how it stacks up, killer use cases, and pro hacks to make it your secret weapon. Let's build the future, one prompt at a time.

What's Revolutionary About Grok 4 Fast?

At its core, Grok 4 Fast is xAI's bold bet on blending raw power with insane efficiency so AI isn't a luxury, but a launchpad for human potential. Here's the innovation breakdown:

• Unified Architecture Magic: Unlike clunky rivals that force you into "slow mode" for smarts, Grok 4 Fast rolls out as two seamless flavors – grok-4-fast-reasoning for chain-of-thought puzzles and grok-4-fast-non-reasoning for lightning-quick tasks. Switch on the fly without retraining your brain (or wallet). This unified setup integrates reasoning and speed, trained via reinforcement learning to handle multimodal inputs (text + images) like a pro.

• The 2M Token Context Window Beast: Picture this – most AIs choke on 128K tokens (that's ~100 pages). Grok 4 Fast swallows 2 million tokens (~1,500 pages or a full codebase + docs). Feed it your entire project history, legal docs, or a novel draft, and it remembers without hallucinating gaps. This isn't incremental; it's a game-changer for long-form analysis, where context is king.

• Cost-Efficiency on Steroids: It slashes token usage by 40% compared to peers, with low cache read costs that make iterative workflows dirt cheap. Trained to be "fast, cheap, powerful," it's flipping the economics for startups – think Replit or Lovable building AI-native apps without breaking the bank.

This isn't just tech; it's inspirational fuel. In a world where AI feels like an elite club, Grok 4 Fast whispers, "You belong here. Build boldly." As xAI puts it, it's setting a "new standard for cost-efficient intelligence." Educational nugget: Its multimodal smarts (processing images alongside text) open doors to visual reasoning, like analyzing charts in real-time during a brainstorm.

Head-to-Head: Grok 4 Fast vs. The Big Dogs (Gemini 2.5 Pro/Fast, Claude 4 Sonnet/4.1 Opus)

We've all chased the "best AI" dragon, but benchmarks don't lie (much). Grok 4 Fast isn't claiming the crown on every metric – yet – but it owns the value equation, hitting Gemini 2.5 Pro-level intelligence at ~25x better cost-efficiency on the frontier. Quick comparison table for the win (based on Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v3.0, incorporating 10 evals like MMLU-Pro, GPQA Diamond, and LiveCodeBench):

Sources: Aggregated from Artificial Analysis benchmarks & provider docs. Bottom line? Grok 4 Fast ties Gemini 2.5 Pro on raw smarts (both at 60 on the Index) but dominates on cost and context – ideal if you're scaling workflows without VC cash. For speed demons, Gemini 2.5 Fast edges out; Claude 4 Sonnet shines in code ethics; Opus 4.1 for pro-level agents but at a premium. If you're grinding daily (devs, analysts), Grok's your dark horse – punching above its weight like a budget superhero.

How Grok 4 Fast Compares to the Competition

The AI market is a battlefield, with giants like Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and OpenAI's GPT models all vying for the top spot. Here's where Grok 4 Fast punches above its weight:

• vs. Gemini 2.5 Pro: Grok 4 Fast is now a direct competitor to Gemini 2.5 Pro, particularly with its large context window. While Gemini has its own impressive multimodal capabilities, early LMArena benchmarks show Grok 4 Fast ranking first in search-related tasks, an area where its real-time data integration with X gives it a significant edge.

• vs. GPT-4o / GPT-5: Grok 4 Fast’s major advantage is its speed and cost. While models like GPT-5 are known for their peak performance on complex tasks, Grok 4 Fast is positioned as the "daily driver." It's optimized for rapid iteration and high-volume workloads, making it far more practical for everyday coding, drafting, and research. Its cost-to-performance ratio is particularly attractive for developers.

• vs. Claude 4.1: Claude is known for its reliability and excellent instruction-following, especially for long-form creative writing and enterprise applications. Grok 4 Fast, while also capable, is designed for a different workflow: one that prioritizes quick, actionable results. If you need rapid-fire code suggestions or quick summaries of documents, Grok 4 Fast is often the faster and more affordable choice.

Market Disruption: The Economics of Accessible Intelligence

The pricing structure of Grok 4 Fast represents a paradigmatic shift in AI economics, with input tokens priced at $0.20 per million and output tokens at $0.50 per million for contexts under 128,000 tokens. This pricing model delivers approximately 25 times better cost efficiency compared to competing frontier models like Gemini 2.5 Pro, which charges $1.25 input and $10 output per million tokens. Even when compared to GPT-5's pricing of $1.25 input and $10 output, Grok 4 Fast maintains a significant cost advantage while delivering competitive intelligence levels.

This cost disruption has immediate implications for enterprise deployment strategies. Companies processing millions of tokens daily can expect substantial savings—a workload costing $540 monthly with Claude 4 Sonnet could run for approximately $210 with Grok 4 Fast, representing over 60% cost reduction while maintaining comparable performance. The model's cached input pricing at $0.05 per million tokens makes iterative workflows particularly cost-effective, enabling sustained conversations and complex multi-turn interactions without prohibitive expenses.

Best Use Cases: Where Grok 4 Fast Shines Brightest

This model's built for action, not chit-chat. Here are tailored scenarios to spark your genius:

1. Developer Workflows: Debug entire repos in one prompt – paste 500K+ lines of code + specs, get optimized fixes. (Pro: Low cache costs mean endless iterations.)

2. Research & Analysis: Summarize 1,000-page reports or academic papers. Multimodal bonus: Upload charts/images for instant insights, like "Explain this quantum sim + predict outcomes."

3. Content Creation: Draft novels, scripts, or marketing campaigns with full arc memory. Non-reasoning mode for quick outlines; reasoning for plot twists.

4. Finance & Science: Model complex sims (e.g., climate data over decades) or forecast markets with historical context. Handles math/science prompts like a PhD on caffeine.

5. Business Tools: Power no-code / low code apps (e.g., Cursor) or customer support with personalized, context-aware responses – all at startup-friendly prices.

Best Practices & Pro Tips: Level Up Your Grok Game

Don't just prompt – engineer them. Here's your cheat sheet for viral results:

• Best Practice #1: Chunk Smartly: With 2M tokens, resist the urge to dump everything. Structure as "Section 1: Background [paste]. Section 2: Query [ask]." Keeps it focused, reduces hallucinations.

• Pro Tip #1: Mode-Switch Like a Boss: Use non-reasoning for drafts ("Quick brainstorm 5 ideas"), flip to reasoning for depth ("Chain-think: Why does this fail? Alternatives?"). Saves 30-50% on costs.

• Best Practice #2: Multimodal Mastery: Always tag images ("Analyze this graph: [upload URL]"). For videos? Chain with text summaries first.

• Pro Tip #2: Iterate with Constraints: Start prompts with "Respond in 200 words max, numbered list, cite sources." Forces tight, actionable output – and leverages its efficiency.

• Best Practice #3: API Integration: Hook it to tools via function calling (e.g., Zapier for automations). Free tier on OpenRouter for testing; scale to xAI API for prod.

• Pro Tip #3: Cache Hacks: Reuse sessions for ongoing chats – its low read costs make threaded convos (e.g., evolving a business plan) feel free.

5 Ideal Prompts to Test Grok 4 Fast's True Power

These prompts are designed to showcase Grok 4 Fast's standout features: its massive 2M token context window for handling huge inputs, multimodal capabilities (text + images), dual modes (reasoning for depth, non-reasoning for speed), and efficiency in complex tasks like coding, analysis, and creation. Copy-paste them directly into Grok (via xAI API, OpenRouter, or the app) – start with non-reasoning mode for quick tests, switch to reasoning for deeper dives. Watch it crush long-context recall, multimodal reasoning, and cost-effective iteration!

1. Long-Context Codebase Analysis (Tests 2M Token Window & Dev Efficiency) Prompt: "Here's my entire 500K+ token Python codebase for a full-stack e-commerce app [paste your repo/code here or simulate with a long snippet]. First, summarize the architecture in a numbered diagram. Then, in reasoning mode, identify 3 security vulnerabilities, suggest fixes with code snippets, and simulate running the updated auth module. Output in Markdown for easy reading." Why it shines: Grok 4 Fast ingests massive codebases without losing details, debugging like a senior engineer – perfect for devs iterating on projects without context resets.

2. Multimodal Research Synthesis (Tests Image/Text Integration & Analysis Depth) Prompt: "Analyze this uploaded chart of global climate data from 1900-2025 [upload image URL or describe]. Cross-reference it with this 1M-token excerpt from IPCC reports [paste long text]. In non-reasoning mode, generate a 5-bullet executive summary. Switch to reasoning: Predict 2050 trends using chain-of-thought, citing specific data points, and propose 3 policy interventions with pros/cons tables." Why it shines: Combines visual + textual smarts for instant insights, outperforming rivals on long docs – ideal for researchers turning raw data into actionable foresight.

3. Creative Content Generation with Full Arc Memory (Tests Storytelling & Speed) Prompt: "Build a 10-chapter sci-fi novel outline based on this 800K-token world-building bible [paste detailed lore/docs]. Include character arcs, plot twists, and themes of AI ethics. In non-reasoning mode, draft Chapter 1 (500 words). Then reasoning mode: Revise for pacing issues, ensuring consistency across the full outline, and end with a teaser for a sequel." Why it shines: Handles epic-scale creativity without forgetting threads, generating polished drafts fast – a game-changer for writers scaling from idea to manuscript.

4. Financial Modeling & Forecasting (Tests Math/Science Precision & Efficiency) Prompt: "Using this 1.5M-token historical dataset of S&P 500 trades, earnings reports, and economic indicators from 2000-2025 [paste CSV/text data], build a Monte Carlo simulation in Python code. In reasoning mode, forecast Q4 2025 volatility under 3 scenarios (recession, boom, neutral), output results in a plot description and risk assessment table. Optimize for low token use." Why it shines: Crunches huge datasets with accurate math, outputting code + visuals efficiently – empowers analysts to model futures without enterprise costs.

5. Ethical Agent Simulation (Tests Reasoning Modes & Business Tools) Prompt: "Simulate a customer support agent for a fintech app. Context: Full 2M-token user handbook, privacy policy, and 100K-token chat logs [paste docs]. Scenario: User query – 'My account was hacked, refund $10K now!' In non-reasoning mode, draft a empathetic 3-response thread. Switch to reasoning: Evaluate ethical/legal risks, escalate if needed, and generate a follow-up audit report with anonymized insights." Why it shines: Balances speed for real-time chats with deep ethical reasoning, scaling personalized support – revolutionary for startups building AI agents on a budget.

Get great prompts like the ones in this post for free at PromptMagic.dev

I paid $300 and subscibed to Grok 4 Heavy. It takes forever to think. Yet, after thinking its unable to fix the code which was written by Grok 4 Heavy itself. Elon Musk just used the right words to market it like saying its more intelligent than PhD and stuff. But it just doesnt work. Waste of money.