KRATUVA ◀ Back to the arcade
Item shop INSERT COINMeet Ruam
Grok (xAI)xAI's assistant on web, iOS and Android with SuperGrok subscriptions, plus the xAI API for Grok text, image, video and voice models. ChatGPT and the OpenAI APIOpenAI's assistant for everyday writing, research, analysis and coding, plus the API that lets you build the same GPT models into your own product.

Grok vs ChatGPT

A plain comparison: who each tool is for, where each one breaks, and when neither is the answer. No affiliate links.

Who this is for

Teams and builders weighing xAI's Grok against ChatGPT, for the app or the API.

Side by side

Grok (xAI) and ChatGPT and the OpenAI API, compared
Compared onGrok (xAI)ChatGPT and the OpenAI API
What it is forAn all-round assistant plus the OpenAI API for building GPT models into products.xAI's assistant plus the xAI API for Grok text, image, video and voice models.
Starting price (checked 2026-10-09)$8/month (Go); Plus $20/month; Pro from $100/month; free plan; API from $0.05 per 1M input tokens.Check site (app prices vary by country); free plan; API from $1.00 per 1M input tokens.
Training on your dataPersonal plans: on unless you turn off "Improve the model for everyone". Business: off by default.API: never without your permission. App: no documented default found when checked.
API data retentionAbuse monitoring logs up to 30 days by default; Zero Data Retention needs OpenAI's approval.Stored 30 days by default; Zero Data Retention is self-serve where available but turns off Batch, Files and stored state.
Where it breaksLong context input costs double on gpt-6 and gpt-5.x; thumbs feedback can send a whole chat to training.Rate limits start at Tier 0 and rise with spend; prompts over 200k tokens bill at about double.
SetupNo-code (app); the API needs a developer.No-code (app); the API needs a developer.
A custom build beats it whenOne repeated task runs at volume and a small API model does it for less than seats.Usage is steady; the API with your own spend controls is easier to budget than a weekly pool.

The verdict

Both have apps on web, iOS and Android and an API. ChatGPT publishes its plans, from Go at $8 a month to Pro from $100, has a Business workspace that does not train on your content by default, and its API starts at $0.05 per 1M input tokens with Batch at half price; on personal plans, chats train OpenAI's models unless you turn that off. Grok's app prices vary by country and could not be read when checked, and its paid plans share one weekly usage pool across chat, image, voice and Build; its API runs from $1.00 per 1M input tokens with context windows up to 1M tokens, xAI says it never trains on API data without your permission, and new teams start on low rate limits that rise with spend.

Pick ChatGPT if you want readable plan prices and a team workspace; pick Grok if you are building on long context models and want a clear 30 day retention default.

Read the full take on each

Grok (xAI)Good at, breaks when, priceChatGPT and the OpenAI APIGood at, breaks when, price

Sources

  1. docs.x.ai/developers/pricing
  2. docs.x.ai/developers/rate-limits
  3. docs.x.ai/developers/faq/security
  4. docs.x.ai/grok/faq
  5. grok.com/plans
  6. chatgpt.com/pricing
  7. help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-faq
  8. developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing
  9. developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/your-data

Spotted something out of date? Email indra@kratuva.com.

Missing an item?

Don't see a tool you use, or one you built?

Tell us what it is and the job it does. We read every request and list the tools we would reach for ourselves. Nobody pays to be listed, and every listing gets an honest "breaks when" line, including yours.

Request a listing

Who runs this shop

Kratuva makes AI-first software. Our first product is Ruam, for teams that work apart. It shows how the working day went without screenshots or keystroke logging. Join the Ruam waitlist.

Occasionally we build with teams we like. Say hi: indra@kratuva.com.

Checked 9 Oct 2026

Every price and claim links to its source. Prices change often, so check the vendor's page before you buy. No affiliate links: nobody paid to be here. Logos belong to their owners and are shown only to name each tool, not as an endorsement.