Side-by-side comparison

ChatGPT vs Grok

Plans, free tiers and API access for ChatGPT and Grok, from each vendor's own pages. Last checked Oct 4, 2026.

ChatGPTAssistant

GrokAssistant

The short answer

ChatGPT has the lower entry price at $20/mo, against $30/mo for Grok.
Both ChatGPT and Grok have an ongoing free plan.
On LiveBench (2026-06-25), ChatGPT's best model (GPT-6 Astra Max Effort) scores 82.2 against 78.0 for Grok's best (Grok 4.6 xHigh).

Pricing and features

ChatGPTGrok

Starting price

$20/mo

$30/mo

Paid plans

Plus$20/mo

SuperGrok$30/mo

Free plan

Free planFree tier with limited messages and models

Free planLimited daily queries on base Grok models

API access

API availableOpenAI API billed separately from ChatGPT plans

API availableSeparate pay-as-you-go token pricing through the xAI developer platform

Best for

Individuals and teams who want a general-purpose assistant in browser and mobile apps, from quick questions to longer writing and analysis workflows.

People wanting an assistant with live web and X data plus optional paid tiers for heavier use.

Watch out for

All plans carry usage limits that can tighten at peak demand; Plus/Go limits differ by model and feature. API access, rate limits, and data handling follow separate OpenAI API terms.

Usage limits per plan aren't listed as fixed numbers. The lower figure is the per-month price when billed annually.

How to choose

Grok's paid tier, SuperGrok, costs $30 per month, or $25 per month billed annually, while ChatGPT Plus is $20 per month on monthly billing. Grok's free tier is described as limited daily queries on base models; ChatGPT's free tier limits messages and models. The stated focus differs: Grok highlights live web and X data, whereas ChatGPT is pitched as a general-purpose assistant for writing and analysis. Per-plan limits for Grok were not confirmed. Both keep API access apart from the consumer plans, with Grok's API on pay-as-you-go token pricing through the xAI developer platform and the OpenAI API billed separately.

ChatGPT: You want the lower monthly price at $20 and a broad assistant for writing and analysis without a focus on social data.
Grok: You want answers drawing on live web and X data and are fine paying $30 monthly, or $25 per month on an annual plan.
Either: You are happy with a free tier for now and want to see which interface and daily limits suit you.

Reviewed Oct 5, 2026. Prices and plans can change, so confirm on the vendor's site.

LiveBench results

Best-scoring model per vendor in the 2026-06-25 LiveBench release (14 OpenAI and 5 xAI configurations). Scores are out of 100.

GPT-6 Astra Max EffortGrok 4.6 xHigh

Overall

82.2

78.0

Reasoning

92.7

90.5

Coding

80.4

76.8

Agentic Coding

57.3

57.0

Mathematics

96.8

92.6

Data Analysis

83.0

73.9

Language

89.4

83.7

Instruction Following

75.6

71.9

Cost per successful task

$0.736

$0.207

Source: LiveBench, imported Oct 5, 2026. Explore every model.

Common questions

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Grok?

ChatGPT has the lower starting price ($20/mo versus $30/mo). Compare plans before choosing, since limits differ.

Is ChatGPT free?

Free plan. Free tier with limited messages and models

Is Grok free?

Free plan. Limited daily queries on base Grok models

Which scores higher on benchmarks, ChatGPT or Grok?

In the 2026-06-25 LiveBench release, GPT-6 Astra Max Effort scores 82.2 and Grok 4.6 xHigh scores 78.0 overall. Scores measure the benchmark, not your own workload.

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