Gray vs Grok Bot: always-on agents compared

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Short answer

Choose Gray if you want an always-on agent you run and control yourself, free and open source. Choose Grok Bot if you want xAI to host everything, already have an eligible SuperGrok or Cursor plan, and want agents that work inside the apps you sign them into.

GrayGrok Bot
MakerOpen-source project (vstaln/gray)xAI
Where it runsYour own machine or serverA cloud Linux computer hosted by xAI, one per user and shared by that user's bots
How it actsRuns commands through bash on your machine, plus tools from pluginsSigns into apps and websites with the accounts you give it, including ones without an API
AccessFree (MIT); you pay your model provider. Hosted Voyager plan $77/month, not yet openBeta since August 2026 for SuperGrok (all tiers) and Cursor Pro, Pro+, Ultra and Teams subscribers; enterprise availability added September 3, 2026
Multi-agentSubagents through the official `subagents` pluginMultiple bots in parallel, a bot that manages others, and group chats
DataConversations, sessions and credentials stay on your machine under ~/.grayRuns on xAI's hosted computer

Is there a cheaper alternative to Grok Bot?

Yes. Gray is free and open source, so instead of an eligible SuperGrok or Cursor subscription you pay only your model provider, or nothing if you run a local model.

Do I need a premium subscription to run an always-on agent?

No. With Gray you run the agent yourself: install it, connect any model provider with your own API key or a local model through Ollama, and the gateway keeps it running in the background.

When should you choose Grok Bot instead?

If you want zero infrastructure, already pay for an eligible plan, and want agents that operate inside your logged-in apps, Grok Bot fits.

Sources

Competitor details are taken from the sources above as of the date at the top of this page. Products change quickly — if something here is out of date, open an issue on GitHub.