Grok is xAI's chatbot: you type, it answers, in one turn. Grok Bot, launched in public beta in August 2026, is something else — an asynchronous agent that gets its own cloud instance, logs into the apps and services you connect, and works a multi-step task on its own timeline instead of yours. You don't watch it type; you give it a job and come back to a result.
| Grok chat | Grok Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | One turn, you wait for the reply | A standing task, works asynchronously |
| Where it runs | The chat window | Its own cloud instance |
| What it needs | Nothing beyond a message | Logins/permissions to the apps it touches |
| What comes back | A written answer | A completed (or attempted) task and a report |
One detail worth knowing before you look for it: Grok Bot access was cross-licensed into Cursor at launch (Cursor's Pro, Pro+, Ultra and Teams plans), not just xAI's own SuperGrok subscription. Those Cursor plans are now legacy plans, closed to new customers. If you already pay for Cursor at one of those tiers, check there before assuming you need a separate xAI subscription.
Knowledge check
You want Grok to research a topic and reply in the same chat window while you wait. Do you need Grok Bot?