# xAI

> Closed Grok models with native live data from X and cheap output tokens.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/xai · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

- Founded: 2023
- Example models: Grok 4.6, Grok 4.20
- Website: https://x.ai

## Overview

xAI sells the Grok models through its own API. Grok 4.6 is the current flagship and xAI tells developers to use it for everything outside audio, image and video, code included. It has a 500K context window and costs $2 in and $6 out per million tokens under 200K prompt tokens. Older Grok 4.20 and 4.3 models keep a 1M window at $1.25 in and $2.50 out, which is aggressive for that capability class.

Grok's distinct hook is live data. Server-side Web Search and X Search tools pull in current events and posts straight from X, which no other lab can offer natively. xAI also ships a multi-agent variant of Grok 4.20 and a coding model called grok-build. The docs pitch Grok 4.20 on speed, strict prompt adherence and a low hallucination rate.

## Upsides

- Output tokens cost well under what OpenAI and Anthropic charge at comparable tiers.
- Native access to X data for social listening and real-time context.
- Up to 1M context on the 4.20 and 4.3 models.
- Separate first-party APIs for image, video and audio.

## Core use cases

- News, market and social-sentiment agents that need fresh data.
- Cost-sensitive reasoning and tool-calling workloads.

## Downsides

- Once a prompt hits 200K tokens, the whole request bills at double, which punishes long agent contexts.
- Smaller enterprise footprint and fewer cloud-marketplace options than OpenAI or Anthropic.

## At a glance

| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Model access | Closed |
| Flagship models | Grok 4.6, Grok 4.20, grok-build |
| Speed | ~54 tok/s on Grok 4.6 |
| Price | $2 in, $6 out (Grok 4.6); 2x past 200K |
| Customization | - |
| Deployment | First-party API |
| Long context | 500K (4.6), 1M (4.20, 4.3) |

## FAQ

### What is xAI?

xAI sells the Grok models through its own API. Grok 4.6 is the current flagship and xAI tells developers to use it for everything outside audio, image and video, code included. It has a 500K context window and costs $2 in and $6 out per million tokens under 200K prompt tokens. Older Grok 4.20 and 4.3 models keep a 1M window at $1.25 in and $2.50 out, which is aggressive for that capability class.

### What is xAI best for?

News, market and social-sentiment agents that need fresh data; Cost-sensitive reasoning and tool-calling workloads.

### How much does xAI cost?

xAI pricing at a glance: $2 in, $6 out (Grok 4.6); 2x past 200K. Rates change often, so check xAI's pricing page before committing.

### How much context does xAI support?

xAI's long-context support: 500K (4.6), 1M (4.20, 4.3).

### What are the downsides of xAI?

Once a prompt hits 200K tokens, the whole request bills at double, which punishes long agent contexts; Smaller enterprise footprint and fewer cloud-marketplace options than OpenAI or Anthropic.

### What are the best alternatives to xAI?

Common alternatives include Subconscious, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex AI, Amazon Bedrock. Each has a head-to-head comparison with xAI on this site.

## Comparisons

- [Subconscious vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-xai.md)
- [OpenAI vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/openai-vs-xai.md)
- [Anthropic vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/anthropic-vs-xai.md)
- [Google Vertex AI vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/google-vertex-vs-xai.md)
- [Amazon Bedrock vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/aws-bedrock-vs-xai.md)
- [Together AI vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/together-ai-vs-xai.md)
- [Fireworks AI vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/fireworks-vs-xai.md)
- [Baseten vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/baseten-vs-xai.md)
- [Groq vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/groq-vs-xai.md)
- [Cerebras vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/cerebras-vs-xai.md)
- [DeepInfra vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/deepinfra-vs-xai.md)
- [Modal vs xAI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/modal-vs-xai.md)
- [xAI vs DeepSeek](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-deepseek.md)
- [xAI vs Moonshot AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-moonshot-ai.md)
- [xAI vs Z.ai](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-z-ai.md)
- [xAI vs Alibaba Cloud](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-alibaba-cloud.md)
- [xAI vs Meta](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-meta.md)
- [xAI vs SambaNova](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-sambanova.md)
- [xAI vs Nebius](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-nebius.md)
- [xAI vs fal](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-fal.md)
- [xAI vs Novita AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [xAI vs Parasail](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-parasail.md)
- [xAI vs Inference.net](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-inference-net.md)
- [xAI vs GMI Cloud](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-gmi-cloud.md)
- [xAI vs Sail Research](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-sail-research.md)
- [xAI vs Morph](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-morph.md)
- [xAI vs Relace](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-relace.md)
- [xAI vs TypeSafe AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-typesafe-ai.md)
- [xAI vs StepFun](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-stepfun.md)
- [xAI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-runware.md)
- [xAI vs StreamLake](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-streamlake.md)
- [xAI vs Wafer](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-wafer.md)
- [xAI vs RunInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-runinfra.md)
- [xAI vs Particle.AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-particle-ai.md)

## Sources

- [xAI models and pricing](https://docs.x.ai/developers/models)
- [Grok 4.20 docs](https://docs.x.ai/developers/models/grok-4.20-0309-reasoning?cluster=eu-west-1)

Pricing and model lineups change often; figures are a snapshot.