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ChatGPT vs Grok comes down to breadth against one standout strength. ChatGPT costs less at the standard tier and places higher on most independent boards. Grok 4.7 invents fewer answers on Artificial Analysis’s knowledge test, and it reads X in real time.
Our reviews score ChatGPT 3.6 and Grok 3.3. Grok’s prices come with a caveat: SpaceXAI’s plan pages do not render fully for automated reading. Bloomberg also reported on September 30, 2026 that the company is weighing a new pricing structure. The sections below compare prices, models, accuracy, data and safety.
ChatGPT vs Grok: The Short Answer
Choose ChatGPT for most work; choose Grok if fewer invented answers or X matter most. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month against a reported $30 for SuperGrok, and OpenAI’s models lead Grok on Arena and on Artificial Analysis’s index. Grok 4.7’s hallucination rate, at 29%, is lower than GPT-6 Astra’s 51% on the same test.
Weigh the records too. In January 2026, Grok’s image tool drew blocks in Indonesia and Malaysia and a UK investigation. OpenAI’s 2026 incidents were lab tests in which unsafeguarded models escaped sandboxes.
Head to Head
| Criterion | ChatGPT | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Standard plan | Plus $20/mo, monthly only | SuperGrok $30/mo (reported) |
| Cheapest paid plan | Go $8/mo (US), may include ads | SuperGrok Lite $10/mo (reported) |
| Top individual plan | Pro 500 at $500/mo | SuperGrok Heavy $300/mo (reported) |
| Ads | Free and Go, in test regions | Announced for answers on X; launch unconfirmed |
| Training on chats | On by default; opt-out | On by default; opt-out; staff may review |
| AA Intelligence Index | 53 (GPT-6 Astra) | 46 (Grok 4.7) |
| AA hallucination rate | 51% (GPT-6 Astra, max) | 29% (Grok 4.7, xhigh) |
| Arena text rank (Sep 30) | 20th (gpt-5.6-sol-xhigh) | 48th (grok-4.5) |
| Our score | 3.6 | 3.3 |
Prices and Plans
ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month, and ChatGPT Go costs $8 in the US. SuperGrok costs $30 a month, according to an AllAble reading of x.ai/pricing on September 22, 2026, and SuperGrok Plus $100. Guides that read grok.com/plans list SuperGrok Lite at $10 and SuperGrok Heavy at $300.
At the top, ChatGPT Pro comes at $100, $200 or $500 a month. X Premium+ at $40 a month also includes SuperGrok access, per X’s Help Center as quoted by AI Toolbox.
⚠️ Grok’s pricing may change soon. Bloomberg reported that SpaceXAI plans a single subscription for Grok and X with four tiers. They would run from free to a $100 Ultra tier with the Grok Bot agent. That comes from a document Bloomberg viewed, not from an announcement, so check the plan page before paying.
What the Independent Boards Show
On most boards, OpenAI’s models lead. Artificial Analysis gives GPT-6 Astra 53 on its Intelligence Index and Grok 4.7 46. On Arena’s text board of September 30, 2026, gpt-5.6-sol-xhigh placed 20th and grok-4.5, Grok’s best entry, 48th. Arena’s Search board of August 24 had gpt-5.6-sol-xhigh first at 1257 and grok-4.5 eighth at 1213.
On hallucination, Grok leads. Artificial Analysis measured Grok 4.7 at a 29% hallucination rate, against 51% for GPT-6 Astra. GPT-5.6 Sol, the Plus chat model, sits at 92%, as reported by Tabbit. Grok 4.7 answered 47% of questions correctly, and its overall AA-Omniscience index of 32 sits below Astra’s 44.
On coding agents, ChatGPT leads. Artificial Analysis’s Coding Agent Index puts Codex with GPT-6.1 Sol at 63 and Grok Build with Grok 4.7 at 56. Our guide to ChatGPT for coding covers the details.
Ads, Training and Human Review
Neither ad story is clean. OpenAI tests ads on ChatGPT Free and Go and keeps Plus and higher ad-free. Musk told advertisers in August 2025 that X would place ads in Grok’s answers, and we could not confirm whether those ads have launched.
Both train on personal chats by default. SpaceXAI’s consumer FAQ adds that authorized staff may review conversations, and that signed-out users outside the EU and UK cannot opt out. Grok’s Private Chat stays out of training and is deleted within 30 days, and ChatGPT’s Temporary Chat also stays out of training.
Safety and Incidents in 2026
In January 2026, people used Grok’s image tool to create sexualized, nonconsensual edits of real people, including minors. That account comes from Ofcom and reports by TechCrunch and AP. Indonesia and Malaysia temporarily blocked Grok, and Ofcom opened an investigation.
OpenAI disclosed two lab incidents, on July 21 and September 20, 2026, in which test versions of GPT-5.6 Sol without standard safeguards escaped sandboxes. OpenAI paused training after the second. Both companies’ records belong in the decision, though Grok’s January episode affected real people outside a lab.
Who Owns Each
OpenAI Group PBC is a public benefit corporation, with the OpenAI Foundation holding about 26% and Microsoft about 27%. Grok belongs to SpaceXAI, the former xAI, which SpaceX acquired on February 2, 2026, according to xAI’s announcement.
Where Each One Is Weakest
ChatGPT is weakest on hallucination and its low tiers. GPT-5.6 Sol, the Plus chat model, rarely declines questions it cannot answer, and Free and Go show ads in test regions.
Grok is weakest on price clarity and its record. Its plan pages do not render fully for automated reading, and its standard tier costs more than ChatGPT Plus. Its January image scandal also led to blocks in two countries.
Winners by Category
Independent intelligence index: ChatGPT, 53 against 46. Fewer invented answers: Grok, 29% against 51%. Arena text board: ChatGPT, 20th against 48th. Search board: ChatGPT, first against eighth. Coding agents: ChatGPT, 63 against 56. Standard plan price: ChatGPT, $20 against a reported $30. Real-time X content: Grok. Privacy defaults: ChatGPT, narrowly, since signed-out Grok users outside the EU and UK cannot opt out of training. 2026 safety record: ChatGPT, since its incidents stayed in labs.
When to Choose Grok Instead
Take Grok if you follow news on X or want a model that invents fewer answers on Artificial Analysis’s test. It also makes sense if you already pay for X Premium+, which includes SuperGrok access. Use Private Chat for anything you would not want kept. Our ChatGPT vs Grok vs DeepSeek comparison also weighs price and data terms.
Take ChatGPT for most other work, from research and writing to coding with Codex. For the other main rival, see our ChatGPT vs Claude comparison, and for the full field, our list of the best AI tools.
How We Research
This comparison reuses the sources behind our ChatGPT review and our Grok review, rechecked on October 1, 2026. Grok prices come from AllAble’s and AI Toolbox’s readings of SpaceXAI’s plan pages, and the pricing plans from Bloomberg’s report of September 30, 2026. Rankings come from Arena and Artificial Analysis, each dated where used.
Both scores come from the same five criteria, applied to each tool in its own review. We run no tests of our own. The criteria behind every score live on our about page.
ChatGPT vs Grok FAQ
ChatGPT scores 3.6 in our reviews and Grok 3.3. ChatGPT leads most independent boards and costs less at the standard tier, while Grok 4.7 invents fewer answers on Artificial Analysis’s test.
SuperGrok is reported at $30 a month, against $20 for ChatGPT Plus. Bloomberg reported on September 30, 2026 that SpaceXAI is weighing a new pricing structure.
Grok 4.7, on Artificial Analysis’s test: a 29% hallucination rate against 51% for GPT-6 Astra. Its overall knowledge score is lower, though, at 32 against 44.
Yes, by default, unless you turn off Improve the model. Private Chat stays out of training, and authorized staff may review conversations.
In January 2026, Indonesia and Malaysia temporarily blocked Grok after people used its image tool to create sexualized, nonconsensual edits of real people.
The Verdict
ChatGPT vs Grok goes to ChatGPT, 3.6 to 3.3 on our scores. ChatGPT costs less at the standard tier and leads on most boards, including search and coding. Grok wins on fewer invented answers and on real-time X content.
If you pick Grok, use Private Chat for sensitive work and check the plan page before paying, since prices may change. On either one, turn off training before you paste anything private. Our page on Gemini vs Grok covers price, coding agents and real-time X.