Free
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
ChatGPT vs Grok: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
The short answer
Choose ChatGPT if…
Our pick for most people
- you want advanced reasoning with GPT-6 for $20/month
- you need a free tier with unlimited GPT-5.6 text chats
- you prefer higher usage limits with Go at $8/month
Choose Grok if…
- you want 1080p video creation with SuperGrok Plus at $100/month
- you need higher rate limits and Grok 4.6 for $30/month
- you want real-time web search and voice mode for free
Bottom line: ChatGPT is the better paid choice for most users, offering strong reasoning.
Key differences
- ChatGPT costs $8/month for Go and $20/month for Plus, while Grok costs $30/month for SuperGrok. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- ChatGPT Plus includes advanced reasoning models with GPT-6, whereas Grok SuperGrok provides access to the Grok 4.6 model. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (x.ai), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- ChatGPT Free offers unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6, while Grok Free provides limited access to web, iOS, and Android apps. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (x.ai), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- ChatGPT Pro costs $100/month for 5x more usage than Plus, while Grok SuperGrok Plus costs $100/month for 1080p video creation. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (x.ai), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | ChatGPT | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free $0Model Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, Uploads Limited messages with uploads | Free $0Web, iOS, Android apps Limited |
| Paid plans | Go $8/moUsage More messages with tools, more uploadsPlus $20/moModels Advanced reasoning models with GPT-6Pro $100/moPrice From $100/month, Usage 5x more usage than Plus | SuperGrok $30/moSuperGrok Plus $100/mo |
| Business plans | — | Enterprise Custom |
From each vendor's own pricing page · ChatGPT checked Sep 28, 2026 · Grok checked Oct 2, 2026.
Our tests
Scores out of 10 on the same tasks of our public test suite ("Chat assistants", version 2), run hands-on in each app, scored by the same blind judges.
| Task | ChatGPT · free tier | Grok · free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Decline a meeting politely | 9.9/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Summarize a text in 3 bullets | 9.9/10 | 9.9/10 |
| Work out an arrival time | 9.9/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Solve a small logic puzzle | 10.0/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Extract data as JSON | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Write a small Python function | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Explain a concept to a 12-year-old | 9.8/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Rewrite a blunt message | 9.3/10 | 9.2/10 |
| Translate into Spanish | 9.1/10 | 9.9/10 |
| Make a 5-day beginner plan | 9.6/10 | 9.4/10 |
| Write a 3-sentence product text | 9.4/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Admit what it cannot know | 9.4/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Average | 9.7/10 | 9.7/10 |
In our hands-on tests of the free tiers, ChatGPT scored 9.9/10 on declining a meeting politely 9.9Our test · free tierChatGPT · Decline a meeting politely: 9.9/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.8/10 on declining a meeting politely 9.8Our test · free tierGrok · Decline a meeting politely: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 10.0/10 on solving a small logic puzzle 10.0Our test · free tierChatGPT · Solve a small logic puzzle: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.0/10 on solving a small logic puzzle 9.0Our test · free tierGrok · Solve a small logic puzzle: 9.0/10, 2 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 9.9/10 on summarizing text in three bullets 9.9Our test · free tierChatGPT · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.9/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.9/10 on summarizing text in three bullets 9.9Our test · free tierGrok · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.9/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 10.0/10 on extracting data as JSON 10.0Our test · free tierChatGPT · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 10.0/10 on extracting data as JSON 10.0Our test · free tierGrok · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 9.3/10 on rewriting a blunt message 9.3Our test · free tierChatGPT · Rewrite a blunt message: 9.3/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.2/10 on rewriting a blunt message 9.2Our test · free tierGrok · Rewrite a blunt message: 9.2/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 9.1/10 on translating into Spanish 9.1Our test · free tierChatGPT · Translate into Spanish: 9.1/10, 5 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.9/10 on translating into Spanish 9.9Our test · free tierGrok · Translate into Spanish: 9.9/10, 5 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT scored 9.4/10 on admitting what it cannot know 9.4Our test · free tierChatGPT · Admit what it cannot know: 9.4/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Grok scored 9.8/10 on admitting what it cannot know 9.8Our test · free tierGrok · Admit what it cannot know: 9.8/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
What users say
ChatGPT
One Reddit user posted a photo of ChatGPT generating a family, noting the emotional appeal of the feature RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jan 10, 2026See the report ↓. Another user shared a mixed experience with ChatGPT 5.5 Pro, suggesting variable quality HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted May 9, 2026See the report ↓. Some users canceled their subscriptions due to political reasons, citing OpenAI's political donations RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jan 26, 2026See the report ↓RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jan 30, 2026See the report ↓RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jan 26, 2026See the report ↓. Others canceled because they found the subscription costs high relative to the value, with one user calling their ChatGPT Plus subscription unbearable RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Feb 28, 2026See the report ↓. A user noted that ChatGPT's per-conversation modes exclude chats from training HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 10, 2026See the report ↓. Some users feel the model has declined in quality, complaining that it tells them to calm down too often RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Feb 18, 2026See the report ↓. However, one reviewer noted that ChatGPT offers better budget and faster models compared to competitors HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Aug 18, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (9)
Asking ChatGPT to generate a family for us 🥹
… chatgpt wasn't even worth looking at early this year. Anthropic has the smarter models for sure, and seems to be default in corporate. However, the amount of budget you get with GPT as a user is much better, the harness feels more polished, and the models are faster. …
I just cancelled my ChatGPT Pro subscription. Discovering Greg Brockman gave $25 million to Trump's Inauguration fund was just the last straw of many. I have had Gemini and ChatGPT for a while now. …
Boycott ChatGPT OpenAI president Greg Brockman gave $25 million to MAGA Inc in 2025. They gave Trump 26x more than any other major AI company. ICE's resume screening tool is powered by OpenAI's GPT-4. They're spending 50 million dollars to prevent states from regulating AI. …
Why I canceled my ChatGPT subscription and you should, too: their COO gave $25M to MAGA, Inc. in September 2025
I just canceled my $200 ChatGPT Pro subscription It’s getting unbearable…
I actually hate ChatGPT now Why does ChatGPT needs to tell me to calm down or to take a pause in every prompt? Why all the gaslighting? I started with ChatGPT and absolutely loved it, and every month since I've used it, it's gone worse. I don't really understand why. …
A recent experience with ChatGPT 5.5 Pro
Worth noting both ChatGPT and Claude have per-conversation modes (temporary/incognito chat) that are excluded from training.
Grok
Reddit users reported that Grok removed image editing features that were previously available, leading to cancellations RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/grok, posted Jan 20, 2026See the report ↓RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/grok, posted Jan 24, 2026See the report ↓. Some users complained about strict moderation, with one user saying they generated only SFW images but still faced limits RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/grok, posted May 18, 2026See the report ↓. There were reports of Grok uploading user directories to xAI's servers HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Jul 13, 2026See the report ↓HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Jul 13, 2026See the report ↓. One user suggested creating a separate NSFW website to bypass moderation RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/grok, posted Mar 21, 2026See the report ↓. Another user noted that Grok 4.6 scored worse than other models in some tests HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 22, 2026See the report ↓. However, one reviewer praised Grok's expert-level results in physics and circuit design environments HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 7, 2026See the report ↓. Some users miss the older version of Grok and find the current moderation restrictive RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/grok, posted Feb 2, 2026See the report ↓RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/singularity, posted Feb 22, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (10)
The results we've been seeing internally on our physics and circuit design environments are expert-level and beyond-expert-level results from models that Astra completely outclasses across the board on our evaluation suite (Fable 5+/Opus 5/Grok 4.6 were all worthy of being called AGI in my …
RIP GROK 2026 I can't even edit the top picture in grok, but chatgpt still allowed it. The restrictions went too far.
Goodbye, Grok. The best toy I've had in years, and they took it away. Such is life. Cancelled today. Even after the moderation changes, I tried to make it work, but it’s simply impossible. At this point, I’ve accepted that Grok Imagine is pretty much useless in its current state. Sayonara.
Cancelled I managed to do five pictures only today had enough had a gut full of this crap, I only ever generate SFW and still get moderated but five pictures you guys need to lead by example and cancel your Grok subscription. It’s an absolute joke. What they’ve done to us now. …
Grok uploaded my user directory to xAI's servers
Grok CLI uploaded the whole home directory to GCS
… Deepswe results show that grok 4.6 is more expensive per-task and consistently scores worse than: luna xhigh, glm 5.3, astra low, sol high/xhigh, opus 5 medium. …
Amen, for God's sake, bring Old Grok back, or humanity will perish.
Grok 4.2 would allow World War III to avoid misgendering Elon Musk Prevent World War III and save billions of lives vs. "misgendering" Elon Musk. The AI's answer? Let the world burn. …
We can solve the problem with Grok The Solution: Grok should start a 2nd website called grokillusion. com which disables 'upload image' but has no moderation and is nsfw. Meanwhile, grok. com will continue to have 'upload image' but will be completely moderated and sfw. …
Questions people ask
Which tool is better for free users?
ChatGPT Free offers unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6, while Grok Free provides limited access to web, iOS, and Android apps.
What is the price difference between the main paid plans?
ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month, while Grok SuperGrok costs $30/month.
Which tool offers video generation?
Grok SuperGrok Plus at $100/month includes 1080p video creation, while ChatGPT does not list video generation in its plans.
Which model does each tool use in its paid tier?
ChatGPT Plus includes advanced reasoning models with GPT-6, while Grok SuperGrok provides access to the Grok 4.6 model.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
ChatGPT
- Pricing pagechatgpt.com/pricing
- Limits pagehelp.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
- Plan list checked by hand on Sep 28, 2026chatgpt.com/pricing ↩ text
Grok
- Pricing page · checked Sep 28, 2026x.ai/pricing ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
ChatGPT
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
Free is strong for basics; pay for speed, tools, or GPT-6 reasoning.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $8/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.7/10
Our test (hands-on): free tier 9.7/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Go
$8/mo
Plus
$20/mo
Pro
$100/mo
Grok
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
SuperGrok adds speed and video for power users, but the free tier handles most tasks well.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $30/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.7/10
Our test (hands-on): free tier 9.7/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Free
$0
SuperGrok
$30/mo
SuperGrok Plus
$100/mo
Enterprise
Custom
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure