What is Grok Bot vs Grok chat
Use this when you're deciding whether a job belongs in Grok Bot or in Grok chat. The official Grok FAQ states Grok Bot gives you durable AI teammates on a persistent cloud computer — messaging, approvals, connectors, and routines — and that it is separate from Grok on grok.com or the Grok mobile apps. You talk to Grok Bot in its own desktop and mobile apps. You talk to Grok chat on grok.com, X, and the consumer Grok apps.
What Bot adds
Official overview and Bot FAQ list the concrete surfaces chat alone does not give you:
- A cloud computer. Each Bot works on a persistent cloud VM with browser, filesystem, and terminal. It can finish work inside real apps and sites, including tools without a clean API.
- Named teammates. Create roughly 50 Bots per account, with up to six Bots in a group chat (x.ai/news/designing-grok-bot, checked 2026-09-25). Each Bot keeps its own conversation and role, and can retain stable preferences, role context, and summaries of prior work (docs.x.ai/grok-bot/faq, checked 2026-09-25).
- Shared computer across Bots. Every Bot on your account uses one user-scoped computer. Files, browser sessions, and app logins are shared so handoffs work. Treat any login or file on that computer as available to every Bot on the account.
- Skills and routines. Save a method as a skill, then attach a schedule or (where supported) an event so a Bot runs it in the background — including while your laptop is closed.
- Plugins and computer use. Install connectors or MCP from Plugins in the sidebar (xAI's docs call this Marketplace) (cursor.com/docs/grok-bot/work, checked 2026-09-25; docs.x.ai/grok-bot/settings-and-notifications, checked 2026-09-25), or take over the screen for logins, CAPTCHAs, and approvals.
Where you use each
| Surface | Where you open it | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| Grok chat | grok.com, X, Grok iOS/Android apps | Ask, search, Imagine, Voice, Projects, consumer connectors |
| Grok Bot | Grok Bot desktop and mobile apps (Cursor sign-in) | End-to-end tasks on a cloud computer, multi-Bot handoffs, routines |
Same account family can include both products. Bot usage is measured on the Bot plan path (weekly Bot usage plus optional on-demand). Consumer SuperGrok weekly pool covers Chat, Imagine, Voice, and related grok.com products. Read both usage pages when you hold both.
Sources differ on platforms. The docs list desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux (x64 and Arm64; .deb, .rpm, or AppImage) and mobile apps for iPhone, iPad (iPadOS 18 or later), and Android 9 or later (docs.x.ai/grok-bot/faq, checked 2026-09-25). The FAQ on x.ai/bot says "desktop (macOS or Windows) or your phone with the iOS app" (checked 2026-09-25).
Eligibility snapshot
Sources differ on plan wording. The get-started page lists "every paid individual Cursor plan or the Cursor Teams plan, or an individual SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus, or SuperGrok Heavy subscription linked to your Cursor account" (docs.x.ai/grok-bot/get-started, checked 2026-09-25). The FAQ says Grok Bot is "included with every paid individual Cursor plan and with the Cursor Teams plan" and that "you can link an individual SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus, or SuperGrok Heavy subscription" (docs.x.ai/grok-bot/faq, checked 2026-09-25). The SuperGrok card on x.ai/pricing lists "Grok Bot access" (checked 2026-09-25). The docs say "linked," while the pricing card and xAI's news say "included." Cursor's Plans and billing page also lists X Premium+ (cursor.com/help/grok-bot/plans, checked 2026-09-25). Confirm live access on the Bot access page after you sign in.
Related
- All how-tos: How-to index.
- How the shared computer works: Do Grok Bots share one computer.
- Set up your first Bot: Create your first Grok Bot teammate.
- Grok Bot or Cursor Projects: Compare Grok Bot vs Cursor Projects.
Pitfalls
- Opening grok.com does not open the Bot computer or its routines.
- Hiding a Bot from the sidebar does not pause its routines; pause the routine itself.
- Deleting a Bot removes its profile, conversation, and routines; shared computer files and logins can remain.