X (formerly Twitter) has kept its AI chatbot, Grok, available only to premium users so far, but it now seems to be testing access for free users. Over the weekend, several users noticed a free version of Grok rolling out in certain regions, with app researchers and TechCrunch confirming that free access is being tested, at least in New Zealand.
For now, there are limits on how much free users can interact with Grok. According to app researcher Swak, the current trial allows up to 10 questions every two hours for the Grok-2 model, 20 questions for the Grok-2 mini model, and three image analysis questions per day. Free access requires that users have an account at least seven days old and linked to a phone number.
Grok-2, launched by Elon Musk’s AI company xAI in August, includes image generation powered by Black Forest Labs’ FLUX.1 model, and recently gained image interpretation capabilities. Previously, these features were exclusive to Premium and Premium+ subscribers.
Allowing free users access could help xAI expand Grok’s user base and gather more feedback quickly, putting it in a better position to compete with other AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.