xAI Grok API Free Credits (2026): $25 Signup & $150 Data-Sharing Status

Short answer: as of 17 October 2026, xAI does not publish any free credit for the Grok API. Its developer docs describe a prepaid model: you buy credits in the xAI Console and each request is deducted from them. The well-known $25/month credit was officially part of the 2024 public beta, and the $150/month data-sharing program that many guides still mention does not appear anywhere in xAI's current docs. The only official hint of free credit today is a line in xAI's enterprise FAQ saying it may sometimes offer credits in exchange for permission to train on business data.

What happened to xAI's free API credits

Many blog posts still promise '$175 a month free' ($25 + $150). Those figures come from older programs. Don't plan a project around them unless your own xAI Console billing page shows the offer.

If you enrolled in an earlier credit program, your console may still show credits or options that new accounts don't see. The console, not third-party lists, is the authority for your team.

Grok API pricing (October 2026)

Prices from xAI's models and pricing page, per 1M tokens, for prompts under 200k tokens:

Long-context rule: once a prompt reaches 200k tokens, xAI bills all tokens in that request at the higher rate, which is double the standard price for every model listed. For example, grok-4.3 rises to $2.50 input and $5.00 output.

Image, video and voice

Server-side tools such as web search and X search are billed on both tokens and tool invocations, and one query can trigger several tool calls. xAI lists the per-call tool prices in the Tools section of its pricing docs.

Worked cost examples

The last text example shows why the 200k threshold matters: the same 250k-token prompt would cost 0.25 × $1.25 = $0.3125 if it were billed at the standard rate. Splitting very long inputs below 200k tokens can halve the price.

How to start with the Grok API

1. Create an account at console.x.ai. xAI's quickstart says to 'load it with credits to start using the API'.
2. Go to Billing → API spend management. Check your balance, apply a promo code if you have one, and buy prepaid credits. Bank transfers take 2–3 business days before credits appear. Indian cards can't be saved, so buyers there use Guest Checkout.
3. Optionally enable auto top-up with a trigger balance, a top-up amount (minimum $5) and a monthly maximum. You get a warning at 80% of that maximum.
4. Create a key on the API Keys page and export it as `XAI_API_KEY`.
5. Call `https://api.x.ai/v1` with the OpenAI SDK or cURL, or use the Vercel AI SDK's xAI provider.

export XAI_API_KEY="your-key"
curl https://api.x.ai/v1/responses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $XAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"grok-4.3","input":"Say hello"}'

Billing rules to know before you buy credits

• Prepaid by default. Monthly invoiced billing is off by default; you can request it from xAI sales.
• Hard stop at zero. With the default $0 invoiced billing limit, 'your API requests will be automatically rejected once your prepaid credits are depleted'.
• No refunds. xAI's billing FAQ says it cannot refund prepaid credit purchases unless required by law in your region.
• Invoices can't be regenerated. Enter your billing address and tax details carefully under Billing → Payment before buying.
• Team-wide. Billing changes apply to everyone on the team.
• Token counts may differ slightly from xAI's tokenizer because the endpoints add predefined tokens to each request.

Rate limits and tiers

Every xAI API team has per-model limits on requests per second (RPS) and tokens per minute (TPM). Your tier depends on cumulative spend on the xAI API since 1 January 2026 and never goes down once reached:

Limits scale steeply with tier. For grok-4.7, grok-4.6 and grok-4.5, xAI gives 150 RPS and 50M TPM at Tier 0, rising to 500 RPS and 100M TPM at Tier 4. Cached prompt tokens still count towards TPM even though they are billed at the reduced rate. Exceeding a limit returns `429 Too Many Requests`; xAI's examples retry with exponential backoff. You can see your tier and limits on the Models page in the console and request increases there.

Data use: why 'free for data' matters

xAI's enterprise FAQ states that xAI does not train on business data by default, and does not sell data or share it with third parties for marketing or advertising. The same FAQ is where the exception appears: in some instances xAI may offer free credits in exchange for permission to train on business data. That is the trade-off behind every 'data-sharing credit' offer. If you ever accept one, avoid sending customer data, private source code or anything covered by a confidentiality agreement through that team, and keep a separate team without the opt-in for sensitive work.

Cheaper and free alternatives

If you want Grok specifically in the consumer apps, our Grok pricing page and SuperGrok guide cover the subscriptions, and students should note that the SuperGrok student offer has ended. For free API access to other strong models:

• Gemini API free tier: free Gemini Flash and 2.5 Pro with no card.
• Groq API free tier: published free limits on open-weight models such as gpt-oss-120b.
• OpenRouter free models: free endpoints from several providers in one API.
• DeepSeek API: no confirmed free credit, but prices well below Grok's.

Startups building on AI may get larger credit packages through programs listed in our guide to getting free AI credits.

How to check for credits on your own account

1. Sign in to the xAI Console and open Billing → API spend management. Any credit balance, including promotional credit, appears there.
2. If the console offers any data-sharing or training opt-in to your team, read its terms carefully before accepting, since it would let xAI train on your API traffic.
3. If you represent a business and want credits in exchange for data, the enterprise FAQ suggests this is handled case by case; contact xAI sales.