Grok 4 rolled out for free-tier users worldwide, with some limits

xAI is opening up its latest AI model, Grok 4, to everyone, even those who don’t pay. The company announced the news on X, where it mentioned that free-tier users worldwide can now try the model’s Auto and Expert modes for a “limited period” with what it calls generous usage limits.

Grok 4, which only launched last month, had been locked behind xAI’s paid tiers. Auto mode decides on its own whether a question needs more reasoning power or a faster response. Expert mode puts that choice in the user’s hands.

There’s still a catch. The most powerful version of the model, Grok 4 Heavy, remains exclusive to SuperGrok subscribers. That’s not all; you won’t get access to Grok Imagine, the tool for generating images and videos, unless you’re in the US. Not to forget, Musk made it free for Americans just days ago.

It’s worth noting that paid users will still enjoy higher rate limits across all tools. Interestingly, the announcement came just a few days after OpenAI rolled out GPT-5 to all registered users, adding extra competitive heat to the ongoing AI race.

Musk also hinted at another big change on the horizon: ads. In a recent Spaces chat, he said Grok will soon show advertising inside its interface, including in answers and suggestions.

For now, free users have a rare chance to explore Grok 4’s capabilities. Whether the trade-off will eventually involve reading AI-generated answers between ad placements remains to be seen.