Grok AI: what it is, how it works, and how to start using it

Grok is the AI assistant built by xAI, the company Elon Musk founded in March 2023. The current flagship model is Grok 4.1, released in November 2025, which holds the #1 position on LMArena's Text Arena with an Elo score of 1483 in thinking mode.

What sets Grok apart from ChatGPT and Claude is its dual data pipeline: it searches both real-time X posts and the open web simultaneously. Grok can pull fresh social commentary, trending topics, and breaking news alongside traditional web sources — something no other major chatbot offers natively.

Grok no longer functions as a chatbot tacked onto a social media platform. It runs as a standalone product at grok.com with dedicated mobile apps, a developer API, and enterprise-grade subscription tiers. If you still think of Grok as the "joke chatbot" from 2023, the current generation — trained on xAI's Colossus supercluster with over 200,000 Nvidia GPUs — is a different product entirely.

Grok packs several capabilities beyond standard chat. Here's what each one does and when to reach for it.

DeepSearch

DeepSearch is xAI's research agent, introduced alongside Grok-3 in February 2025. When you activate it, Grok breaks your question into targeted sub-queries, searches both X and the open web, then synthesizes findings into a report with citations.

The process is transparent. A visible reasoning trace shows each sub-query as it runs, and a progress bar tracks completion. Grok also cross-references X Community Notes — the platform's crowd-sourced fact-checking layer — which adds a verification step you won't find in competing search tools.

DeepSearch works like a research assistant that reads social media discourse and traditional sources in the same breath. If you regularly need to research topics using AI prompts, DeepSearch is one of the strongest native tools available. It's available on Premium+ and SuperGrok tiers.

Think mode

Think mode activates chain-of-thought reasoning — the model breaks a problem into explicit steps before answering. It uses extended reasoning for more thorough analysis, and you toggle it with the Think button in the interface.

The performance jump matters. In generalist mode, Grok-3 scores modestly on math benchmarks. With Think mode engaged, performance improves dramatically on math benchmarks. For coding problems, math proofs, or science questions where you need the model to show its work, Think mode is the feature to reach for.

Image and video generation (Aurora)

Aurora is xAI's in-house image model, replacing the third-party FLUX system in December 2024. It handles photorealistic rendering, text and logo rendering, style transfer, and editing of user-provided images.

The bigger leap arrived in February 2026 with Grok Imagine 1.0: 10-second 720p video generation with synchronized audio. The scale is striking — xAI reported 1.245 billion videos generated in the 30 days before February 2026.

A few caveats: Aurora can produce anatomical distortions in complex scenes. xAI also restricts image generation on the X platform to paid tiers following content policy changes in January 2026. Free users can still generate images through the standalone Grok app and grok.com.

Voice mode and companions

Grok supports natural voice conversations with real-time web search built in. Point your phone camera at something and Grok provides live visual analysis with a spoken response.

SuperGrok subscribers get Companions — AI personalities named Ani, Rudi, and Valentine with animated characters, voice and video modes, and a progression system that unlocks new dialogues over time.

Code generation

xAI offers a dedicated code model, grok-code-fast-1, with a 256K context window. On the ARC-AGI-2 benchmark, Grok-4 scored 15.9% — nearly double the next best commercial model.

Earlier Grok versions had notable coding limitations, but the current generation competes with frontier models. For structured coding tasks, the dedicated code model is the right endpoint.

Grok offers five pricing tiers, and the differences between them trip people up. Here's the breakdown as of February 2026.

The key distinction most people miss: SuperGrok ($30/month) is a standalone Grok subscription. X Premium+ ($40/month) bundles Grok access with X platform perks (ad-free browsing, blue checkmark). If you only want Grok's AI features without the social media extras, SuperGrok costs less and gives you more Grok-specific features.

Discount bundles: X Premium+ subscribers get 50% off SuperGrok. X Premium subscribers get 25% off.

Pricing note: xAI changes pricing frequently — they doubled the Premium+ price after the Grok-3 launch in February 2025. Treat these numbers as current as of February 2026 and verify before purchasing.

Three access paths, depending on what you already have. This Grok tutorial section walks through each one.

On grok.com (free, no X account)

1. Go to grok.com.
2. Sign up with a Google account or email address.
3. Start chatting — the free tier gives you approximately 10 messages per two hours and limited image generation.

To unlock DeepSearch, Think mode, or higher limits, upgrade to SuperGrok directly from the grok.com interface. No X account needed at any point.

On X (mobile and desktop)

If you already use X, Grok lives in the sidebar. Tap or click the Grok icon to open a chat window. Your X subscription tier determines which Grok features you can access — Premium gets Grok 3, Premium+ unlocks Grok 4.

Grok on X is available globally wherever the X platform operates.

Standalone apps (iOS and Android)

Download the Grok app from the App Store or Google Play (Android 9+ required). Your grok.com account works across all platforms — sign in once and your conversations sync.

We cover full comparisons on dedicated pages. Here's the positioning in brief.

Where Grok leads:

• Real-time X data — no other chatbot natively searches social media posts alongside web results.
• Aggressive SuperGrok pricing — $30/month for full-featured access undercuts most competitors.
• Video generation — Aurora's 720p video with audio is a native feature, not a third-party add-on.

Where Grok trails:

• Ecosystem maturity — ChatGPT's plugin library and Claude's enterprise integrations run deeper.
• Pricing stability — xAI has changed tiers and prices multiple times, making long-term planning harder.
• Track record — Grok's model lineup is younger than OpenAI's or Anthropic's, with less third-party validation.

For detailed breakdowns, see the ChatGPT overview, Claude overview, and Gemini overview.

Four ways to get more value from Grok, matched to its specific strengths.

Use DeepSearch for anything involving current events. Grok's ability to search X posts and the web simultaneously makes it the strongest tool for questions like "What are developers saying about the new React compiler?" or "What's the latest on EU AI regulation?" The Community Notes cross-referencing adds a fact-checking layer other tools lack.

Switch to Think mode for technical problems. The math benchmark improvement is substantial. For coding challenges, proofs, or multi-step calculations, toggling Think mode on produces meaningfully better answers.

Leverage X integration for social listening. If you need to understand public sentiment, track brand mentions, or monitor industry discourse, Grok is the only major AI tool that searches social posts natively. Pair it with DeepSearch for structured reports.

Try Aurora for quick visual content. Need a concept image or a 10-second video clip for a presentation? Aurora generates these directly in the chat. It won't replace professional design tools, but it handles quick-turn creative work.

AITutoro offers adaptive Grok AI training paths that adjust to your current skill level. Whether you're getting started with AI or refining your prompt engineering techniques, the platform meets you where you are.

That depends on what you need an AI tool to do.

Best for researchers and analysts: If your work involves tracking real-time information — news, market sentiment, public discourse — Grok's X integration and DeepSearch give you a data source no competitor matches. The SuperGrok tier at $30/month is competitively priced for this use case.

Best for content creators: Aurora's image and video generation built directly into the chat interface means fewer tool switches. Generate a concept, refine it in conversation, and export — all in one window.

Best for developers exploring new models: Grok-4's ARC-AGI-2 score (15.9%, nearly 2x the next best commercial model) and the dedicated grok-code-fast-1 endpoint signal serious investment in code capabilities. The API pricing is competitive, especially with the 50% batch discount.

Not ideal if you need: A mature plugin ecosystem, deep enterprise integrations, or a provider with a stable pricing history. ChatGPT and Claude have years of head start on these fronts.

The free tier at grok.com lets you test the basics without commitment. If the X data integration or Aurora features match your workflow, SuperGrok is the tier worth evaluating.

Master Grok and other AI tools with AITutoro's adaptive training. The platform adjusts to your knowledge level — whether you're exploring your first AI assistant or optimizing advanced workflows across multiple tools. Start your free trial and build the AI skills that matter for your role.