ChatGPT vs Grok

ChatGPT scores well above Grok on independent reasoning and coding leaderboards as of Nov 6, 2026, and lets you opt out of training. Grok, sold in The X Subscription from $8 a month with Cursor and X Premium included, makes video, which ChatGPT no longer does, and won a Tom's Guide test of everyday questions.

ChatGPT is the stronger model on independent leaderboards as of Nov 6, 2026: OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra scores 57 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index against 35 for xAI's Grok 4.7, and OpenAI's models rank above Grok's on Arena's blind-vote text board. Grok has its own wins: it makes video, which ChatGPT stopped doing when Sora shut down, its paid plans bundle the Cursor coding app and X Premium, and it won Tom's Guide's Oct 24, 2026 test of everyday questions three rounds to two. Both entry plans cost $8 a month, but Grok's newest models need its $30 Premium plan.

Learn more: Grok on Ai.vi.ki.

Quick facts

Maker	ChatGPT: OpenAI; Grok: xAI, now part of SpaceX Super Intelligence
Free plans	ChatGPT Free: unlimited text chats; X Subscription Free: limited, without the latest Grok models
Paid plans	ChatGPT Go $8, Plus $20, Pro $100, $200 or $500 a month; X Subscription Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200 a month
Bundled	ChatGPT: Codex; X Subscription: Cursor and X Premium (verified checkmark)
Flagship models	GPT-6 Astra; Grok 4.7 (released Sep 21, 2026)
Video	ChatGPT none since Apr 26, 2026; Grok Imagine video
Training opt-out	ChatGPT has a setting; xAI's privacy policy describes none

Sources, as of Nov 6, 2026: ChatGPT pricing, Codex pricing, TechCrunch, Oct 13, 2026, Cursor pricing, Decrypt, Sep 21, 2026, xAI models, xAI privacy policy.

Verdict by task

Task	ChatGPT	Grok	Verdict
Writing and everyday chat	GPT-6 Astra 37th on Arena text (1476)	Grok 4.20 Beta 1 40th (1475), Grok 4.7 96th (1441); won Tom's Guide's test	Close; Grok won the one hands-on test
Reasoning	GPT-6 Astra 57 on Artificial Analysis	Grok 4.7 35	ChatGPT
Coding	GPT-6 Astra 2nd on Arena WebDev; Codex	Grok not in the WebDev top 7; Cursor bundled	ChatGPT on models; Grok bundles a coding app
Research	Deep research, Free limited	Not documented on the pages read	No reliable comparison yet
Images	ChatGPT Images 2.6	Grok Imagine	No reliable comparison yet
Video	None	Grok Imagine video	Grok
Voice	Live voice with published hours	Voice included on every paid tier	No reliable comparison yet
Price	$8 Go, $20 Plus	$8 Plus, $30 Premium for the latest models	ChatGPT for the newest model at the lowest price
Privacy	Training opt-out setting	Trains on content; no opt-out setting described	ChatGPT

Sources for the table: Arena text leaderboard, updated Oct 27, 2026, Arena WebDev leaderboard, updated Oct 27, 2026, Artificial Analysis, Tom's Guide, Oct 24, 2026, Cursor pricing, ChatGPT pricing, Data controls in ChatGPT, xAI privacy policy, all read Nov 6, 2026.

Who makes Grok now

Grok is made by xAI, which TechCrunch on Oct 13, 2026 called "the company now known as SpaceX Super Intelligence". The same company owns X and, since SpaceX agreed to buy it on Jun 16, 2026, the Cursor coding editor. That is why Grok is now sold inside The X Subscription, launched on Oct 13, 2026, together with Cursor and X Premium. Its current model, Grok 4.7, came out on Sep 21, 2026 after several delays.

Writing and everyday answers

This one is close. On Arena's text leaderboard (updated Oct 27, 2026), OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra sits 37th at 1476 and its best model, GPT-5.6 Sol, 22nd at 1485; xAI's best is Grok 4.20 Beta 1, 40th at 1475, while the newer Grok 4.7 is 96th at 1441. In Tom's Guide's hands-on test of five questions older readers ask, Grok won rounds two, four and five and the test overall (Oct 24, 2026). One reviewer's five prompts are not a benchmark, but they are the only head-to-head test found.

Reasoning and coding

ChatGPT wins on measured reasoning and coding. The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, a mix of reasoning, coding and agent tests, scores GPT-6 Astra at 57 and Grok 4.7 at 35; even OpenAI's mid-range GPT-6.1 Terra scores 51. On Arena's WebDev board, GPT-6 Astra is 2nd at 1773 and no Grok model is in the top seven. Decrypt reported Grok 4.7 second on EEBench behind GPT-6 Astra.

Grok's bundle is still useful for programmers: every X Subscription tier includes Cursor, though the $8 Plus plan offers only Grok models inside it, and cloud agents and AI code review start at Premium. ChatGPT includes Codex on every plan. Compare the coding tools on Codex vs Cursor.

Images, video and voice

1:54 Video is Grok's clearest win. The X Subscription lists video among Grok's features, and xAI's API sells grok-imagine-video-1.5 at $0.08 a second. ChatGPT has made no video since OpenAI ended the Sora app on Apr 26, 2026.

For still images there is no reliable comparison yet: ChatGPT Images 2.6 runs on every ChatGPT plan, and Grok Imagine is on every paid X Subscription tier (Cursor's plan list), with no published test between them. Voice is included on Grok's paid tiers, and ChatGPT's Live voice gives 3 hours a day on Plus; no test compares them.

Price

Both start at $8 a month: ChatGPT Go and X Subscription Plus. They do not buy the same thing. Go runs OpenAI's everyday models and leaves out GPT-6 Astra, which starts at ChatGPT Plus for $20; X Subscription Plus has no access to the latest Grok models, which need Premium at $30. At the top, X offers Super at $100 and Ultra at $200, with one usage pool shared between Grok and Cursor that refreshes weekly; ChatGPT Pro costs $100, $200 or $500 and includes monthly API credits. People who already pay for X Premium get Grok and Cursor in the same bill. ChatGPT Free and Go may show ads. See ChatGPT Plans and Pricing.

Privacy

ChatGPT gives you a switch. OpenAI uses personal chats for training by default, and turning off Improve the model for everyone stops it while keeping your history. xAI's privacy policy, updated Oct 27, 2026, says it uses user content to train its models and describes no setting to opt out; its Private Chat mode keeps a chat out of your history and deletes it within 30 days, but the policy does not say whether it affects training. See Privacy and Data Controls.

When to choose Grok, and when ChatGPT

Choose Grok if you want video, already pay for X Premium, or want Cursor and an assistant in one subscription. Choose ChatGPT for stronger measured reasoning and coding, the newest flagship at $20 rather than $30, a free plan with unlimited text chats, and a training opt-out. More rivals: When to Use Something Else.

Learn more: Grok on Ai.vi.ki.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grok better than ChatGPT? On independent leaderboards, no: GPT-6 Astra scores 57 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index against Grok 4.7's 35 (read Nov 6, 2026). Grok did win Tom's Guide's Oct 24, 2026 test of five everyday questions, three rounds to two, and it makes video, which ChatGPT does not.

How much does Grok cost compared with ChatGPT? The X Subscription that includes Grok costs $8, $30, $100 or $200 a month, and the latest Grok models need the $30 Premium plan. ChatGPT costs $8 for Go, $20 for Plus and $100, $200 or $500 for Pro.

Is Grok free? There is a free X Subscription tier with limited chat and agent usage, but it has no access to the latest Grok models. ChatGPT Free gives unlimited everyday text chats, with separate limits on tools.

Can ChatGPT make videos like Grok? No. OpenAI shut down the Sora app on Apr 26, 2026, and ChatGPT now makes images and GIFs only. Grok Imagine makes video.

Does Grok train on my chats? xAI's privacy policy (updated Oct 27, 2026) says it uses user content to train its models and describes no opt-out setting. ChatGPT also trains on personal chats by default but lets you turn it off in Data controls.