How to use Grok: step-by-step tutorial
xAI’s chat assistant: plans from Free to Ultra, the weekly shared usage pool, current-events checks, privacy and prompts you can copy today.
At a glance
Is Grok right for this job?
Use Grok for
- What’s happening right now, with links
- Drafting short posts
- Quick explanations
- Brainstorming with a casual tone
- Agent tasks via Grok Bot (Premium)
Think twice for
- News you won’t verify
- Buying through resellers
- Confidential data on a personal account
- Heavy use late in the week when the pool is low
Get set up: step by step
Basics
What it is
Grok is xAI’s AI assistant, available on the web, in apps and inside X. On Oct 30, 2026, x.ai/pricing lists plans from Free to Ultra, sold directly through X Subscription Corp. Paid tiers raise usage (Premium 4x, Super 15x, Ultra 50x), and the usage pool is shared across Grok and Cursor and refreshes weekly. Premium includes Grok Bot, the agent covered in our Grok Bot tutorial.
Why this step matters: Knowing what it is good and bad at stops you using it for jobs where it will fail quietly.
Setup
Step 1: Get the official app
- Start from x.ai or grok.com, or the official app.
- Subscribe only through the official checkout (X Subscription Corp).
- Sign in and open a new chat.
Why this step matters: Copycat apps and unofficial installers are common; starting from the official source protects your account and data.
Setup
Step 2: Plans, limits and costs
- Free: $0, limited.
- Plus: $8/month.
- Premium: $30/month; Grok Bot, latest models, 4x usage.
- Super: $100/month; 15x usage.
- Ultra: $200/month; 50x usage.
The usage pool is shared across Grok and Cursor and refreshes weekly. Plans are sold only directly through X Subscription Corp (x.ai/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).
Why this step matters: Paying for features you don't use is the most common waste. Knowing the limits first tells you if the free tier is enough.
Real things to do with Grok
Morning news check
Stories with dates and links; open each.
Top 3 stories in [industry] this week: summary, date, link. Mark anything unverified.
Write a post
Get options and edit yourself.
Three versions of this announcement under 280 characters, friendly, no hashtags:
[facts]
Explain a trend
Simple explanation plus sources.
Explain why [trend] is in the news, in 5 bullets, with 3 sources.
Plan a small event
Checklist and timeline.
Plan a 30-person community cleanup: timeline, supplies, volunteer roles.
Code question
Quick help; run the code yourself.
Why does this JavaScript return undefined? Explain and fix in the smallest change.
Study a topic
One idea at a time with questions.
Teach me how interest rates affect mortgages, one idea at a time, asking me a question after each.The 5-part prompt that works in Grok
Most weak answers come from weak instructions, not a weak model. Before you send anything important to Grok, check that your message has these five parts. It takes thirty seconds and saves several rounds of “that’s not what I meant.”
- Situation. Who you are and why you are asking. “I run a two-person bakery” changes every answer that follows.
- Task. One clear verb: draft, compare, summarize, fix, plan, explain. If you have three tasks, send them as three steps.
- Inputs. Paste or attach the material it should use, and say what to ignore. Name the file and the pages if it is long.
- Format. Length, structure and tone: “a table with 4 columns”, “under 150 words”, “plain English, no jargon”.
- Checks. Tell it how you will judge the answer: “give a source link for every number”, “say unknown instead of guessing”, “list your assumptions first”.
Save the version that works. In Grok the natural home for reusable instructions is one chat per topic with saved prompts, so you never type the same context twice.
Go further: steps continued
Use
Step 3: Your first real task
Grok is good at current events. Ask for sources and open them:
What are the 3 biggest tech news stories this week? For each: one-sentence summary, date, and a link to the original source. Say "unverified" for anything without a source.Why this step matters: A prompt with situation, task and format gets a usable answer first time, so you learn what the tool can actually do.
Setup
Step 4: Privacy
- Don't paste passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or other people's private details.
- Assume the company can read and keep your chats unless its official policy says otherwise.
- For health, money or legal decisions, confirm with a professional or an official source.
- Check data and training settings in your account.
- Posts you make on X are public; chats are separate, but treat both carefully.
Why this step matters: Anything you paste may be stored and read. Deciding what never goes in is easier than undoing a leak.
Mistakes
Mistakes
- Buying through unofficial resellers; plans are sold only directly.
- Trusting trending-news answers without opening sources.
- Forgetting the usage pool is shared with Cursor.
- Paying for Super when Premium covers your usage.
Why this step matters: Knowing how it typically fails tells you where to look when you review its work.
A good session, start to finish
Decide what “done” looks like
Write one sentence describing the finished result before you open the chat: “a one-page plan I can send to my landlord by Friday.” If you cannot describe it, the bot cannot hit it.
Give context once, in the right place
Put standing facts about you, your business or your project where {name} keeps them between chats, instead of pasting them into every message.
Ask for a draft, then steer
Take the first answer as a rough draft. Reply with specific edits (“shorter”, “cut the second option”, “use our real prices”) rather than starting over.
Check the parts that matter
Open the source behind every number, name, date and quote you will reuse. For files, spot-check two page references. For code, run it.
Save what worked
Copy the final prompt into a notes file or saved instructions. Next time the same job takes one message instead of ten, and you spend fewer credits doing it.
Your first week with Grok
How to spot a wrong answer
Warning signs
- It gives an exact number, date or quote with no link, or with a link that does not contain it.
- It agrees with everything you say, including a wrong assumption you slipped in to test it.
- The answer is fluent but vague: lots of “generally” and “it depends” and no specifics you can act on.
- It claims to have done something (sent, saved, booked, run) without a link, ID or file you can open.
- Two answers to the same question, asked in fresh chats, disagree on a fact.
- It names a setting, menu or plan feature you cannot find. Apps change their menus often, so check the official help pages.
What to do
Open the source and find the exact sentence. Ask Grok to separate what it checked from what it assumed. Re-ask in a fresh chat with the source attached. If it still cannot back the claim up, treat it as unknown and use the official page instead.
None of this means the tool is bad. It means you are the editor, and editors check.
Power-user tips
Fast news needs sources you open.
Grok and Cursor share it.
$8 may be enough; upgrade if you hit limits.
Agent tasks come with Premium.
Plans are sold only through X Subscription Corp.
Keeps answers focused.
Privacy and safety with Grok
Review data settings in your account, keep private data out, and remember anything you post to X is public.
- Never paste passwords, API keys, one-time codes, full card numbers or government ID numbers into any chat.
- Remove other people’s names, addresses and account details from files before you upload them, unless you have their permission and a reason.
- Open the privacy or data-controls settings in your first week and decide whether your chats may be used to improve models.
- Use the account your employer approved for work material. A personal plan follows the consumer terms, not your company’s contract.
- For health, legal, tax or money decisions, use the bot to prepare questions, then confirm with a professional or an official source.
Grok or another bot?
| If you need… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Current events with X context | Grok | Built around real-time information. |
| Agent tasks | Grok Bot | Included with Premium. |
| Citations-first research | Perplexity | Built around sources. |
| Long documents | Claude | Careful long-form work. |
Our editorial judgment, not a benchmark. Try your own real task in two bots before you pay for either.
Questions people ask
How much is Grok?
Free; Plus $8; Premium $30; Super $100; Ultra $200 a month (x.ai/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).
What does Premium add?
Grok Bot, the latest models and 4x usage.
How do usage limits work?
A usage pool shared across Grok and Cursor that refreshes weekly.
Where do I subscribe?
Only directly through X Subscription Corp, per xAI.
What is Grok Bot?
An agent included with Premium; see our Grok Bot tutorial.
Is there a free plan?
Yes, limited.
Why do some pages say SpaceXSI?
Some official xAI pages show that branding now; pricing is at x.ai/pricing.
Is there an API?
Yes, xAI has a developer API with separate pricing.
Words you will see
The Grok quiz, first-week checklist and cost calculator now have their own page.
Where these facts come from
Checked Oct 30, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
Next: Grok lessons →