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xAIResearch & science

Grok for research & science

The model from xAI, integrated into X, distinguished by real-time access to live X posts and web data.

Not specifically recommended

Grok isn't on our list for research & science. Usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for research & science.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Caution
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
1471Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
7,8
Entry price
$10 / month
Full GDPR check

What Grok does in research & science

Core tasks in research & science
  • Literature search and exploration with semantic search and citation networks
  • Screening titles, abstracts and full texts for systematic reviews
  • Extracting and summarising data and study characteristics from papers
  • Writing and editing manuscripts, abstracts and research proposals
Where Grok excels
  • Real-time X/Twitter and web data
  • DeepSearch research agent
  • Strong in coding and factual accuracy
  • Large context window, low API price

Grok has a concrete GDPR concern. No EU hosting, and training is on by default (opt-out). Less suitable for confidential or regulated data. Weigh this heavily before using it in research & science.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

Never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, as fabricated or wrongly attributed citations are the most common error. Unpublished data, research proposals and peer-review manuscripts are confidential or commercially sensitive, so do not enter them into a consumer account without a data processing agreement, and check whether the provider stores your input or uses it for training (publishers usually prohibit this explicitly for peer review). If you work with personal data from research participants, the GDPR and your own ethics review apply: running models locally or using an EU-hosted tool with data minimisation is then the safe route. Finally, document your search strategy and your AI use: journals and funders increasingly ask for this, and a review must remain reproducible.

No EU data residency; data goes to the US under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. X/Grok uses public posts and conversations for training by default, with opt-out. Subject of GDPR investigation by the Irish DPC.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.
Caution no EU hosting, and training is on by default (opt-out). Less suitable for confidential or regulated data.

Prices

SuperGrok Lite$10 / monthEntry-level subscription
Free$0Limited use
SuperGrok~$30 / monthGenerous usage
API$2.00 / 1M in$6.00 / 1M out (Grok 4.7, <200K tokens)

Other models for research & science

Claude for research & scienceAnthropic · editorial 9.01506Gemini for research & scienceGoogle · editorial 8.61527ChatGPT for research & scienceOpenAI · edition 8.91485Le Chat (Mistral) for research & scienceMistral AI · editorial 8.41426
All options for research & science
Professional tools on Grok

We do not know of a professional tool for research & science that runs publicly on Grok.

Questions about Grok for research & science

Is Grok suitable for research & science?
Not specific. Grok isn't on our list for research & science; it's broadly usable, but first look at the options we recommend for research & science. Keep a professional in the loop for every use.
May I put confidential data into Grok?
Never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, because invented or wrongly attributed citations are the most common error. Unpublished data, research proposals and peer-review manuscripts are confidential or commercially sensitive; do not enter them into a consumer account without a data processing agreement, and check whether the provider stores your input or uses it for training (publishers usually prohibit this explicitly for peer review). If you work with personal data of research participants, the GDPR and your own ethics review apply: running a model locally or using an EU-hosted tool with data minimisation is then the safe route. Finally, record your search strategy and your AI use: journals and funders increasingly ask for this, and a review must remain reproducible. No EU data residency; data goes to the US under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. X/Grok uses public posts and conversations for training by default, with an opt-out. Subject of GDPR investigation by the Irish DPC.
How much does Grok cost?
There's SuperGrok Lite ($10 / month), Free ($0), SuperGrok (~$30 / month), API ($2.00 / 1M in). Check current prices on the official site.
Next stepAll 30 options for research & scienceProfessional tools and general assistants side by side, on GDPR profile, price and quality.

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