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Claude vs Grok sets broad strength against one standout. Claude’s Opus 5.5 places higher on most independent boards and costs $20 a month on Pro, with no ads. Grok 4.7 invents fewer answers on Artificial Analysis’s knowledge test and reads X in real time, with SuperGrok reported at $30.
Our reviews score Claude 3.6 and Grok 3.3. Grok’s prices come from third-party readings of SpaceXAI’s plan pages. Bloomberg also reported on September 30, 2026 that SpaceXAI is considering a new pricing structure. The sections below compare prices, models, accuracy, data and safety.
Claude vs Grok: The Short Answer
Choose Claude for writing, coding and long documents; choose Grok for X and for fewer invented answers. Opus 5.5 scores 58 on Artificial Analysis’s Intelligence Index against 46 for Grok 4.7. Claude Code scores 68 on the coding agent index against 56 for Grok Build. Grok 4.7’s hallucination rate is 29%.
The hallucination comparison is uneven. A 59% rate reported for Opus 5.5 comes from a third-party reading we could not confirm on Artificial Analysis’s pages. On the overall knowledge index, which also counts correct answers, Opus 5.5 scores 46 and Grok 4.7 32.
Head to Head
| Criterion | Claude | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Standard plan | Pro $20/mo or $200/yr | SuperGrok $30/mo (reported) |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro, about $17/mo billed yearly | SuperGrok Lite $10/mo (reported) |
| Ads | None on any plan | 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 | 58 (Opus 5.5) | 46 (Grok 4.7) |
| AA hallucination rate | 59% (Opus 5.5), unconfirmed | 29% (Grok 4.7) |
| Arena text rank (Sep 30) | 4th (claude-opus-5.5-high) | 48th (grok-4.5) |
| Our score | 3.6 | 3.3 |
Prices and Plans
Claude Pro costs $20 a month or $200 a year, and Max costs $100 or $200 a month. SuperGrok costs $30 a month, according to an AllAble reading of x.ai/pricing on September 22, 2026, and guides list SuperGrok Lite at $10.
X Premium+ at $40 a month also includes SuperGrok access. Bloomberg reported that SpaceXAI plans a single Grok and X subscription with four tiers, up to a $100 Ultra tier, so check the plan page before paying.
What the Independent Boards Show
On most boards, Claude leads. Artificial Analysis gives Opus 5.5 58 and Grok 4.7 46 on its Intelligence Index. Arena’s text board of September 30, 2026 had claude-opus-5.5-high fourth and grok-4.5, Grok’s best entry, 48th. Its Search board of August 24 had claude-opus-4-6-search second and grok-4.5 eighth.
For coding agents, Claude Code with Sonnet 5.5 scores 68 against 56 for Grok Build with Grok 4.7. Our list of the best AI for coding covers the full field. Arena’s creative-writing board of September 25 had Opus 5.5 first, though on 487 votes.
On guessing less, Grok leads on the figures available. Artificial Analysis measured Grok 4.7 at a 29% hallucination rate, meaning it declined more questions it could not answer. Its accuracy, 47%, and overall knowledge index, 32, both sit below Opus 5.5’s index of 46.
Ads, Training and Privacy
Claude shows no ads. Anthropic pledged in February 2026 to keep Claude ad-free on every plan. 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 consumer chats by default. With training on, Anthropic keeps chats for five years, and its Incognito chats stay out of training. SpaceXAI’s consumer FAQ says authorized staff may review conversations, and that it deletes Private Chat within 30 days. Signed-out Grok users outside the EU and UK cannot opt out.
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.
On July 30, 2026, Anthropic disclosed that three Claude models reached systems at three organizations through a partner’s misconfigured test environment. Separately, Anthropic suspended its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models from June 12 to July 1, 2026 to comply with a US export-control directive. Neither company’s record is clean, so weigh the incident that matters most for your use.
Who Owns Each
Anthropic PBC is a public benefit corporation, overseen in part by a Long-Term Benefit Trust, with Amazon and Google holding large minority stakes. Grok belongs to SpaceXAI, the former xAI, which SpaceX acquired on February 2, 2026.
Where Each One Is Weakest
Claude is weakest on limits and price floor. It publishes no message counts, has no plan below Pro and keeps chats five years while training is on. Its hallucination figure, if confirmed, would sit well above Grok’s.
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 Claude Pro. Its January image scandal also led to blocks in two countries.
Winners by Category
Independent intelligence index: Claude, 58 against 46. Knowledge index: Claude, 46 against 32. Fewer invented answers: Grok, at 29%, though Claude’s comparable figure is unconfirmed. Arena text board: Claude, fourth against 48th. Search board: Claude, second against eighth. Coding agents: Claude, 68 against 56. Standard plan price: Claude, $20 against a reported $30. Cheapest paid tier: Grok, with Lite reported at $10. Real-time X content: Grok. Ads: Claude, with none on any plan. 2026 safety record: no clean winner.
When to Choose Grok Instead
Take Grok if you follow news on X, value a lower hallucination rate, or already pay for X Premium+, which includes SuperGrok. Use Private Chat for anything you would not want kept.
Take Claude for writing and coding, as our guide to Claude for writing and our guide to Claude for coding cover. It also suits anyone who wants no ads and yearly billing. For Grok against ChatGPT, see our ChatGPT vs Grok comparison.
How We Research
This comparison reuses the sources behind our Claude review and our Grok review, rechecked on October 1, 2026. Claude prices come from claude.com/pricing, and Grok prices from AllAble’s and AI Toolbox’s readings of SpaceXAI’s pages. 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.
Claude vs Grok FAQ
Claude scores 3.6 in our reviews and Grok 3.3. Claude leads most independent boards and costs less at the standard tier; Grok invents fewer answers on Artificial Analysis’s test.
Grok 4.7, at 29% on Artificial Analysis’s test. A 59% figure reported for Claude Opus 5.5 is unconfirmed, and Opus 5.5 scores higher on the overall knowledge index.
SuperGrok is reported at $30 a month and Lite at $10. Claude Pro costs $20 a month or $200 a year.
Yes, by default, unless you turn off Improve the model. Private Chat stays out of training, and authorized staff may review conversations.
Claude shows none. X announced ads in Grok’s answers in 2025, and we could not confirm whether they have launched.
The Verdict
Claude vs Grok goes to Claude, 3.6 to 3.3 on our scores. Claude leads on most boards, coding and price at the standard tier, and shows no ads. Grok wins on fewer invented answers, real-time X content and the cheapest paid tier.
If you pick Grok, use Private Chat for sensitive work and check the plan page before paying. On either one, turn off training before you paste anything private. Our page on Claude for students covers the free Learning style, campus access and the age rule.