Social platform X, previously restricting access to its AI chatbot Grok to premium subscribers, is now testing a free version of the chatbot for some users. Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, has been selectively made available in certain regions, with TechCrunch confirming that free access is being tested for users in New Zealand.
Reports indicate that free users have certain usage limits: the Grok-2 model allows 10 queries every two hours, while the Grok-2 mini model permits 20 queries in the same timeframe. Additionally, users can make up to three image analysis requests per day. To use Grok’s free version, accounts must be at least a week old and linked to a phone number.
xAI first launched Grok-2 in August, including image generation features powered by Black Forest Labs’ FLUX.1 model. Recently, xAI added image recognition capabilities to the chatbot, but these features had been exclusive to Premium and Premium+ subscribers until now. Opening Grok to free users could help xAI gather more feedback and expand its user base as it seeks to compete with other AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
In a related development, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that xAI is exploring funding opportunities, with a target valuation of $40 billion.
