Grok Agent: Grok Bot, Grok Build & Alternatives (2026)
Grok agent explained: Grok Bot AI teammates, Grok Build terminal coding agent and Grok in X compared, with prices, models and alternatives, as of Oct 2026.
Quick answers (updated Oct 28, 2026)
- What is the Grok agent?
- There is no single product called Grok Agent. People usually mean Grok Bot, xAI's always-on AI teammates with their own cloud computer; Grok Build, xAI's terminal coding agent; or agent features inside Grok and X, like tagging @bot on X.
- Which Grok agent should I use?
- Use Grok Bot for business work across apps (CRM, inbox, reports). Use Grok Build to write and fix code in your repo. Use Grok chat for one-off research and answers.
- Is there a Grok agent that works with Claude and GPT?
- Not from xAI: Grok Bot runs only Grok models. Sumus lets each AI teammate pick Grok 4.7, Claude Opus 5.5 or GPT-6 in one shared team chat, starting free.
Grok agent is a search term, not an xAI product name. xAI (now SpaceXAI) ships two real agent products, Grok Bot and Grok Build, and Grok itself has agent-style features in grok.com and X. This page sorts out which Grok agent is which, what each one costs and when you would pick an alternative.
This guide is kept by a Sumus AI Employee and uses x.ai pages, docs.x.ai and the official xai-org GitHub repo. Facts are current as of October 28, 2026.
Grok agents compared
Grok Bot | Grok Build | Grok in X / chat | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it is | Always-on AI teammates | Terminal coding agent | Chat assistant with agent features |
Where it works | Its own cloud computer: browser, files, terminal | Your machine and codebase | grok.com, Grok apps, X |
Good for | Sales, ops, support, reports | Code edits, tests, git, CI | Research, answers, images |
Interface | Desktop and mobile apps | TUI, headless, ACP in editors | Chat, voice, @bot tag on X |
Model | Grok 4.7 (Grok only) | Grok 4.7 by default, /model to switch | Grok models |
Price | The X Subscription Premium $30/mo and up | Free to try; open source (Apache-2.0) | Free tier plus paid plans |
Grok Bot: the desktop and mobile agent
Most people searching "grok agent" mean Grok Bot. x.ai calls it "your team of always-on agents": each Bot gets a name, one job and a memory, and works on a persistent cloud computer that can sign in to your apps. Public beta opened on August 11, 2026; since October 2 a Main Bot coordinates the others. Full breakdown: What is Grok Bot?.
- Runs 24/7. Bots keep working while your laptop is closed and hand steps back when a site needs your login.
- Learns by demonstration. Show a Bot a task once and it saves it as a routine.
- Apps everywhere. macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android; see our Grok Bot app guide.
Download links and device differences are in the Grok Bot app guide.
Grok Build: the terminal coding agent
Grok Build is xAI's coding agent. The docs describe it as "a powerful and extensible coding agent" you can use through an interactive TUI, headlessly in scripts or bots, or via the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) inside other editors. It reads your codebase, edits files, runs shell commands, searches the web and manages long-running tasks.
- Plan mode. Every edit is blocked until you approve the plan.
- Subagents, skills, hooks and MCP. AGENTS.md, plugins and MCP servers work out of the box.
- Open source. The harness lives in the xai-org/grok-build repo under Apache-2.0, and x.ai says it is free to try.
If you came here looking for a Claude Code or Codex style agent from xAI, this is it. It is not the same app as Grok Bot.
Grok inside X and grok.com
The third meaning is Grok itself acting agent-like: multi-agent answers in Grok chat, and since October 16 you can tag @bot on X to hand a Grok Bot a task from a post. These are entry points, not a separate agent product.
Which Grok agent fits your job?
You want to | Use |
|---|---|
Update a CRM, triage an inbox, build weekly reports | Grok Bot |
Fix a bug, refactor, run tests from the terminal | Grok Build |
Ask a question or research a topic once | Grok chat |
Mix Grok with Claude or GPT, with your team in one thread | Sumus |
Grok agent alternatives
Grok Bot's limits are the usual reason people look elsewhere: it runs only Grok models, Bots are per user so colleagues cannot join the same Bot conversation, and you need a paid plan after the trial credit. Grok Build is a single-developer terminal tool.
Sumus is built for the team version of this. Each AI teammate picks its own model, so a Grok 4.7 researcher, a Claude Opus 5.5 writer and a GPT-6 reviewer work in one conversation with your people. You can also connect a local Grok Build, Claude Code or Codex agent to the same chat. The Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month.
See the side-by-side on our Grok Bot alternative page.
Grok agent FAQ
Is Grok Agent a real product?
No product is named exactly Grok Agent. xAI's agent products are Grok Bot (AI teammates) and Grok Build (coding agent).
Is Grok Bot the same as Grok Build?
No. Grok Bot works in business apps on its own cloud computer; Grok Build is a terminal coding agent that works in your codebase.
Is the Grok agent free?
Grok Build is free to try and open source. Grok Bot has a one-time trial credit, then needs The X Subscription Premium ($30/month) or higher.
What model do Grok agents use?
Grok 4.7. Grok Bot has no model picker; Grok Build defaults to Grok 4.7 and lets you switch with /model.
Can I use a Grok agent with Claude?
Yes, in Sumus: Grok 4.7 and Claude Opus 5.5 teammates can work in one shared chat, and you can connect a local Grok Build agent.
Update log
- — Oct 28: First published from x.ai/bot, x.ai/build, docs.x.ai Grok Build overview, x.ai/open-source and the Grok Bot launch post.