Grok 4.3 (flagship model)
6/10xAI's reasoning-first flagship released to API on 30 April 2026. A 1M token context window, native video input, and a permanent reasoning state that 'thinks' before responding. Scores 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, below GPT-5.5 (60) and Gemini 3.1 Pro (57) but at a fraction of the price. Accessed via grok.com, X apps, or the API.
Key features
1M token context windowNative video input up to five minutes at 1080p, with speaker segmentation and motion reasoningGenerates downloadable PDFs, populated spreadsheets, and PowerPoint decks directly from chatPermanent reasoning state for multi-step tasksAPI pricing at $1.25 per 1M input tokens and $2.50 per 1M output tokens
Best use cases
- Summarise an hour-long site walk video into a defects list with timestamps
- Generate a first-draft pitch deck in PowerPoint from a meeting transcript
- Run a real-time scan of X for what the trade press is saying about a competitor launch
- Build a research brief that mixes public web sources with X commentary on the same topic
- Cheap bulk classification or extraction work where Claude or GPT would be three times the cost
Weaknesses
Below Claude 4.6 and GPT-5.5 on serious reasoning benchmarks. No Business Associate Agreement (BAA), no UK enterprise data processing commitments comparable to Anthropic or OpenAI. ADL bias audit placed it last out of six major models. 'Anti-woke' alignment posture produces unpredictable outputs that are a liability for client-facing work. Enterprise adoption sits a long way behind Claude and ChatGPT.
Pricing
API: $1.25 per 1M input tokens, $2.50 per 1M output tokens. Consumer plans: free tier (limited), X Premium £8/month (basic Grok in X), SuperGrok Lite £10/month, SuperGrok £30/month, X Premium+ £40/month, SuperGrok Heavy £300/month (full 4.3 access and multi-agent reasoning).
Reach for this when you need real-time X awareness or cheap bulk model work, not when the deliverable carries your name on it.
Grok Imagine (Aurora image gen and video)
6/10xAI's image and video generation family. Aurora-2 generates stills at 4-megapixel native resolution with strong text-on-image rendering, lifelike portraits, and volumetric lighting. Grok Imagine 1.0, released February 2026, adds ten-second 720p video clips with synchronised audio from text or reference images. Notably permissive content policy compared with rivals.
Key features
Aurora-2 at 4MP native resolution with accurate text rendering on signs and packagingTen-second 720p video clips with native audioImage-to-video, reference-to-video, and clip extension workflowsTen aspect ratios including ultrawide 20:9 and ultratall 9:20Sub-five-second generation for stills
Best use cases
- Generate a product mock-up with readable label text for a sales deck
- Create a ten-second social teaser from a single product photo
- Concept storyboards for a site visit or event activation
- Quick visual A/B options for a marketing email hero image
- Generate stock-style imagery where Midjourney's queue is too slow
Weaknesses
Permissive content moderation has produced a serious deepfake problem; an analysis covering late December 2025 to early January 2026 found 6,700 sexually suggestive images per hour, with two percent appearing under 18. That alone makes it a brand and HR risk to recommend internally. Video output capped at ten seconds and 720p, well behind Veo 3 and Sora 2. Style consistency across a sequence is weaker than Midjourney.
Pricing
Bundled into SuperGrok (£30) and X Premium+ (£40); SuperGrok Lite (£10) includes Imagine access. API access via grok-imagine-video model family on Replicate and xAI direct.
Best for fast permissive image and short-video generation; do not let it run unsupervised inside a team that handles client work.
Grok in X (real-time social intelligence)
7/10Grok lives inside the X app and web client and can search X posts as they are published, summarise trending conversations, and analyse what specific accounts are saying. The closest thing to a real-time pulse of public sentiment any general LLM offers. Available free to X users with limits, full access at X Premium+ £40/month.
Key features
Live search across X posts as they publishTrend and influencer summarisationVoice and text input from inside the X mobile appDecides automatically whether to query X, the web, or bothCombines 'what happened' (news) with 'how people reacted' (X) in one synthesis
Best use cases
- Brief yourself on the room before a sales meeting with a public-facing exec
- Track competitor product launch reception on X within minutes of announcement
- Spot emerging complaints about a supplier you are about to sign with
- Real-time sentiment read during a live event or news moment
- Identify the actual original poster of a viral claim doing the rounds
Weaknesses
Only as good as X itself, which has a particular demographic and political skew. Not a substitute for proper market research. Outputs are colour-commentary, not analysis. Free tier has aggressive limits.
Pricing
Free with limits, X Premium £8/month, X Premium+ £40/month for full access.
Reach for this when timeliness matters more than depth and the conversation lives on X.
Grok Skills (custom workflows)
5/10Launched 13 May 2026, Skills are reusable automation packages, folders of markdown instructions, scripts, and resources, that Grok's agent invokes on demand. Compatible with Claude Code skill packs and CLAUDE.md files. Available to paid SuperGrok and SuperGrok Heavy subscribers only.
Key features
Define a workflow once in markdown, call it by name foreverConnectors to SharePoint, Google Drive, Canva and similarGenerates Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF artefacts in-flowCross-compatible with Claude Code skill packsShareable across an organisation
Best use cases
- Register brand assets once, then generate consistent campaign images on demand
- Pull SharePoint meeting notes and emit a Word doc in your weekly report template
- Standardise a sales follow-up email sequence as a callable skill
- Wrap a Canva brand kit so every image stays on brand without prompt re-explanation
- Migrate an existing Claude Code skills pack to test it inside Grok
Weaknesses
Late to the party; Claude's Skills and ChatGPT's GPTs are more mature and have more third-party packs. Locked behind paid tiers. The same compliance gap that affects the rest of Grok applies here.
Pricing
Included in SuperGrok £30/month and SuperGrok Heavy £300/month.
Useful if you are already paying for SuperGrok; not a reason on its own to switch from Claude or ChatGPT.
xAI's research agent that probes the web and X in parallel, reasons across conflicting sources, and synthesises a single narrative. Distinct from competing 'Deep Research' offerings because it weights X commentary alongside traditional web sources.
Key features
Parallel web and X searchReasoning across contradictory sourcesReal-time, no paywall delays on current eventsAvailable to X Premium+ during betaAPI access for enterprise
Best use cases
- Investigate a breaking story where X commentary matters as much as the news report
- Background-check a person whose public profile lives mostly on X
- Track the rollout reception of a public sector announcement in real time
- Build a 24-hour news brief that includes social reaction, not just headlines
Weaknesses
Less rigorous than ChatGPT Deep Research or Claude Research for academic or technical domains. Citation quality is uneven. X weighting introduces noise on topics where X is not the venue.
Pricing
Free for X Premium+ subscribers; enterprise via API.
Reach for this when the story is breaking on X and you need the 'what people are saying' angle, not when you need a polished research report.