Guide
Grok vs Grok Bot: what's the difference?
Updated · by Rosh Perera
Grok and Grok Bot are two different apps from xAI. Grok is the chat app: you ask, it answers. Grok Bot is for Bots that do a job: they run on a schedule or a trigger, use the apps you connect, and wait for your OK before sending anything you've told them to check with you (Grok Bot help: FAQs, xAI's Approvals docs). So if you're "still just chatting with Grok", as one X post put it, the switch is to hand one repeat job to a Bot instead. Facts here come from xAI's Grok Bot docs and help pages, checked 19 Oct 2026. We're an independent site, not part of xAI.
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Side by side
Grok: you start every conversation, it answers in the chat, and nothing happens when you close it. Grok Bot: each Bot has a job, runs on a schedule or when something arrives, works with connected apps such as email and calendar, and leaves drafts or approval cards for you (xAI's Skills and routines docs, xAI's Approvals docs). Grok is for questions. Grok Bot is for work that repeats.
Do they share a plan?
On The X Subscription, Grok Bot is included on Premium, Super and Ultra, and it draws from one weekly usage pool shared with Cursor and the Grok apps (Grok Bot help: Plans and billing). A limit you hit in the Grok app isn't a Grok Bot limit, because they're separate apps (Grok Bot help: FAQs).
Where @bot fits
Tagging @bot on X hands a post to a Bot you already have. You need Grok Bot access on the same Grok account and at least one Bot of your own; without one, @bot replies that Grok Bot isn't set up yet (xAI's Tag @bot docs). Tagged requests use your Grok Bot usage.
First job 1: a morning brief
Every weekday morning, one message with today's calendar, the emails that need you and anything overdue. It only reads, so it's the safest way to see the difference from chat.
First job 2: drafted replies
Sort new email into reply now, later and ignore, and draft replies for the first group. Drafts wait for your Send or Discard (Grok Bot changelog).
First job 3: follow-ups
A list of quotes, invoices or messages that went quiet, with a short draft nudge for each, for your OK. Not sure which fits? Our What should my bot do? planner picks your first three.
Not sure which jobs fit your business?
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Ready-made use cases
- 01CEO morning brief in 5 minutes
One message each morning: calendar, urgent emails, money in/out, and the 3 things that move the business today.
~3h/week · estimate - 02Inbox triage with drafted replies
The agent sorts your inbox into reply / FYI / ignore and drafts replies in your voice for you to approve.
~5h/week · estimate - 03Never miss a lead follow-up
The agent checks your CRM or inbox for leads that went quiet and drafts the next follow-up.
~4h/week · estimate - 04Invoice chaser, with your OK on every reminder
Every Monday the agent lists unpaid invoices and drafts polite, escalating reminders. You approve each one before it sends. Sending friendly first reminders without review is an optional upgrade.
~2h/week · estimate - 05One daily list of drafts to approve
Your bots hold every email, message and post they write as a draft. Once a day (or once a week) you get one numbered list and answer approve, edit or reject for each. Nothing goes out unapproved.
~1h/week · estimate
Example: Grok Bot setup
Grok Bot routine: CEO morning brief in 5 minutes Schedule: Daily 7:30 Every morning, read my calendar for today, my unread emails from the last 24h and yesterday's revenue. Send me a brief: (1) meetings with one prep note each, (2) emails that need my reply with a suggested one-line answer, (3) money in/out, (4) the 3 highest-leverage tasks for today. Keep it under 200 words. Rules: draft first, never send or post anything external without my approval. Keep summaries short.
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n versions: all templates
Keep these human
- A Bot doing a job is different from a chat: tell it where to stop before it can send, post, pay or delete (xAI's Approvals docs).
- Start each Bot on drafts and loosen it only after you've stopped editing its work.
Want the whole system pre-written?
The One-Person AI Business Pack: CEO agent + workers, all 46 routines in 4 formats, your role pack.
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Built by Rosh Perera, who has set up AI automations for more than 40 businesses over about 3 years.
FAQ
What's the difference between Grok and Grok Bot?
Grok is xAI's chat app: you ask and it answers. Grok Bot is a separate app for Bots that do a job on a schedule or trigger, with your connected apps, and ask before sending (Grok Bot help: FAQs, xAI's Approvals docs).
Why is anyone still just chatting with Grok when Grok Bot gets things done?
Chat is still the quickest way to answer a one-off question. Grok Bot pays off when a job repeats. Most people end up using both: Grok for questions, a Bot for the weekly work.
Is Grok Bot included with my Grok or X plan?
On The X Subscription it's included on Premium, Super and Ultra, not Plus or Free, and it shares one weekly usage pool with Cursor and the Grok apps (Grok Bot help: Plans and billing).
Can I start a Grok Bot from X?
You can hand a post to a Bot you already have by tagging @bot, but you create your first Bot in the Grok Bot app (xAI's Tag @bot docs, xAI's Get started docs).