Social Network X, previously Twitter, is preparing to make its AI chatbot, Grok, accessible to free users in certain regions. Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI, was initially exclusive to premium subscribers on X. However, recent user reports and app researchers suggest that X has started testing Grok’s free-tier availability.
Over the past weekend, users noted a free version of Grok being made available in select regions, with New Zealand confirmed as one of them. This information was also supported by X researcher Swak, who outlined usage limitations for free users. According to Swak, the Grok-2 model permits 10 queries every two hours, while the lighter Grok-2 mini model offers up to 20 queries in the same period. Free users are also allowed three image analysis queries per day.
To access Grok on a free plan, users must meet two conditions: the X account must be at least seven days old and have a phone number associated with it.
Launched in August, Grok-2 comes with image generation capabilities powered by the FLUX.1 model developed by Black Forest Labs. Last month, xAI introduced image understanding capabilities, expanding Grok’s skillset. Initially, these advanced features were only accessible to Premium and Premium+ subscribers.
By allowing free users to try Grok, xAI likely aims to broaden its user base and obtain faster feedback to enhance Grok’s performance. This move positions Grok to compete more effectively with other popular AI chatbots, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini.