Elon Musk’s xAI Rolls Out Grok 4 AI to All Users for Free: But There’s a Catch

xAI has broadened access to its latest AI model, Grok 4, making it available to all users as of Sunday. Previously, only paid subscribers could use this model, which was launched last month. Now, those using the free tier can explore Grok 4's Auto and Expert modes. However, the Heavy mode remains exclusive to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers. This expansion follows closely after OpenAI's release of its GPT-5 model to all registered users.

In a recent announcement on X (formerly Twitter), xAI revealed that Grok 4 is now accessible worldwide to all users. The company also mentioned that free-tier users would enjoy "generous usage limits" for a limited time to try out the new large language model (LLM). This news came just three days after Elon Musk, owner of xAI, made the Grok Imagine video generation feature freely available to US users.

Grok 4 Features for Free Users

For those not subscribed to SuperGrok or X Premium plans, xAI offers access to Grok 4's Auto and Expert modes. The Auto mode intelligently decides if a prompt needs more reasoning for a detailed response or if a quick reply suffices. Meanwhile, Expert mode allows users to manually switch to reasoning mode if they find Grok's default answer lacking.

Despite these offerings, free-tier users cannot access Grok 4 Heavy, the most advanced model in the series. Additionally, unless located in the US, they won't have access to Grok Imagine's image and video generation features. Paid subscribers will continue enjoying higher rate limits across all models and features.

Monetisation Plans and Ad Integration

Elon Musk recently discussed plans in a Spaces session about integrating ads into Grok's interface on both web and mobile platforms. Currently, subscriptions and APIs are the primary revenue sources for the chatbot. Introducing ads provides a new revenue stream for xAI. Musk highlighted that funds are necessary due to the high costs associated with GPUs powering Grok.

According to Musk, ads will be embedded within Grok's answers and suggestions. However, he did not clarify if these ads will be visibly labelled for user awareness.

xAI's decision to expand access aligns with its strategy to increase user engagement while exploring new monetisation avenues through advertising. As technology advances rapidly, such expansions help keep AI models like Grok competitive in the market.