Within just 48 hours of its release, the launch of Grok3 has sparked strong reactions from users, especially those who recently spent $40 to subscribe to the X platform's Premium + service. As they eagerly prepared to experience this latest AI model, they were disheartened to discover Musk's announcement on social media X: Grok3 will be "available for free to everyone in the short term." The official XAI account even claimed that the free access would last "until the servers crash."
Shortly after the release of Grok3, Musk shared on social media that the Grok app topped the free productivity tools chart in the Apple App Store, surpassing ChatGPT for the first time. Users expressed confusion in the comments, with some lamenting, "I paid for an upgrade, and it turned out to be a waste!" Others resignedly noted that the $40 Premium + service had increased from $22 prior to the announcement. With the launch of Grok3, subscription fees on the X platform have surged, leading to user dissatisfaction.
Grok3 is viewed as a competitive effort by Musk against OpenAI and DeepSeek, with its reasoning model, Grok Reasoning, drawing significant attention. Many believe that the decision to offer Grok3 for free may stem from market competition pressures, especially in light of OpenAI and DeepSeek rapidly launching new services. Despite the anticipation surrounding Grok3's release, users remain skeptical about its actual performance.
In discussions among users, Premium + subscribers found that while they could access Grok3, their usage was limited, and free users faced even fewer requests. The free availability of Grok3 seems to have added more confusion for users, while the instability of subscription fees has left many perplexed.
As Grok3 launches, the gap between user expectations and reality has become increasingly apparent. Although Musk claims Grok3 is "the smartest AI in the world," user feedback indicates that this AI has not met expectations when handling simple requests. In the current market environment, where competitors are continuously updating their products, whether Grok3 can stand out in future competition remains uncertain.
