xAI just rolled Grok 4.3 out to the full API on April 30, 2026, two weeks after a $300/month beta locked behind SuperGrok Heavy. The bigger story is the price reset. Grok 4.3 now runs at $1.25 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens, an input cut of roughly 40% and an output cut closer to 60% versus Grok 4.20. It scores 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, slotting just above Claude Sonnet 4.6 and well below GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.7, and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview.
This Grok 4.3 review covers what actually changed since the April beta, where Grok now stands against the other frontier models, and the honest answer to the question every comparison-shopper has right now: should you pay $30 for SuperGrok, $300 for SuperGrok Heavy, or skip it altogether and use the API. We will also walk through how Mac and iPhone users can run Grok 4.3 alongside ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek without juggling five separate subscriptions.
The Key Takeaways
- Grok 4.3 went GA on April 30, 2026 after an April 17 beta on SuperGrok Heavy.
- API pricing is $1.25 input / $2.50 output per million tokens, ~40% / ~60% cheaper than Grok 4.20.
- Native video input (max 5 minutes, 1080p, mp4/mov/webm) and native PDF, PPTX, and XLSX generation in chat.
- 1M-token context window on the API, 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.
- API access is now open to all developers; consumer chat access remains on SuperGrok Heavy ($300/month) with a staged rollout to SuperGrok and X Premium+ underway.
What Is Grok 4.3?
Grok 4.3 is xAI’s flagship reasoning model, released in beta on April 17, 2026 and rolled out via API on April 30, 2026 per the official xAI models documentation. It scores 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, supports native video input and file generation (PDF, PPTX, XLSX), and runs at $1.25 per million input tokens with a 1 million token context window. It is the cheapest frontier-tier model xAI has shipped to date.
The model has always-on reasoning that you cannot disable, and it accepts text, image, and now video inputs. Knowledge cutoff is December 2025.
What’s New in Grok 4.3 vs Grok 4.20
Grok 4.20 was a strong reasoning model that few people used because of how it was priced. Grok 4.3 fixes that and adds three serious capabilities on top.
Native video input
This is the headline feature. You can drop a video file (up to 5 minutes, 1080p or lower, in mp4, mov, or webm) directly into Grok 4.3 and ask questions about it. xAI bills it as image tokens after frame extraction, so cost depends on length and resolution. Practical use cases include meeting summaries, demo walkthroughs, lecture notes, and quick review of surveillance or product footage.
Native file output
Grok 4.3 can now generate downloadable PDFs, fully formatted PowerPoint decks, and populated Excel spreadsheets directly inside the chat. Early hands-on reports from independent testers describe outputs that are clean enough to actually send, not the rough first drafts that earlier “export” features produced.
1M-token context on the API
Grok 4.20 already had a long context, but Grok 4.3 standardises 1 million tokens across the API with no output token cap. That is roughly 2,000 pages of text in one prompt, which makes long-document analysis and agentic workflows substantially easier.
Pricing reset
This is the part most coverage from April missed, as VentureBeat noted in its launch coverage. Grok 4.3 launched on the beta locked to SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month. After the API GA on April 30, API pricing dropped to $1.25 input and $2.50 output per million tokens. xAI also began rolling Grok 4.3 chat access out to standard SuperGrok and X Premium+ subscribers in stages, with SuperGrok Heavy as the only confirmed consumer plan with full access today. At those API rates, Grok 4.3 sits well below GPT-5.5 ($30/M output) and Claude Opus 4.7.
There are also smaller updates worth noting: an Auto / Fast / Expert mode selector that controls how hard Grok thinks, the Imagine agent for creative video and image work, and improved voice cloning. The 16-Agent Heavy parallel orchestration system remains exclusive to the $300 SuperGrok Heavy plan.
Grok 4.3 Pricing: SuperGrok, SuperGrok Heavy, and API
| Plan | Monthly cost | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (X) | $0 | Limited Grok via X / grok.com (Grok 4.3 rollout pending) | Casual use |
| SuperGrok | $30/month | Full Grok 4 today, Grok 4.3 rolling out in stages | Most paying chat users |
| SuperGrok Heavy | $300/month | Confirmed full Grok 4.3 access plus 16-Agent Heavy parallel processing | Power users running multi-step agentic workloads |
| API | Pay per token | $1.25/M input, $2.50/M output, 1M context | Developers and high-volume workflows |
For a full breakdown of every plan, including X Premium+, Imagine credits, and team pricing, see our Grok pricing guide.
Grok 4.3 Benchmarks: How It Compares
The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is the cleanest cross-model snapshot right now. Grok 4.3 scores 53, a four-point gain over Grok 4.20. That puts it above Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Muse Spark, but below the current leaderboard.
| Model | Intelligence Index | Context window | Native video | File output | Input $/M | Output $/M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 4.3 | 53 | 1M | Yes | PDF, PPTX, XLSX | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| GPT-5.5 (xhigh) | 60 | 400K | Yes | PDF, PPTX, XLSX | $5.00 | $30.00 |
| Claude Opus 4.7 (max) | 57 | 200K (1M Enterprise) | No (images only) | Artifacts only | $15.00 | $75.00 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | 57 | 2M | Yes | Docs, Sheets, Slides | $2.50 | $15.00 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | ~50 | 128K | 아니요 | No native files | $0.55 | $3.48 |
The takeaway: Grok 4.3 is not the smartest model on the board, but at $1.25 / $2.50 per million tokens it is the cheapest model with native video input and native Office-style file output. For agentic workflows that hammer on long documents, the price-to-capability ratio is hard to beat. For complex coding, scientific reasoning, or deep research where every IQ point matters, GPT-5.5 and Claude Opus 4.7 still pull ahead.
How to Use Grok 4.3 on Mac and iPhone
xAI does not currently ship a native Mac or iOS app. You can use Grok 4.3 in three ways from an Apple device.
The first option is grok.com in your browser, which works fine on Safari, Chrome, or Arc but lives behind another browser tab. The second is the X app or X.com, which gives you Grok inside the social-network UI and is mostly useful if you already pay for X Premium+. The third option, and the one we use day to day, is Fello AI for Mac and iPhone, which gives you Grok 4.3 alongside Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek under one $9.99/month subscription. No model lock-in, no app switching, and one chat history across providers.
Mac users running M-series chips can also call the Grok 4.3 API directly from local tools like Raycast or terminal scripts, which is the cheapest path if your usage is bursty.
Who Should Actually Pay for Grok 4.3
The honest verdict depends on what you do with it.
If you want guaranteed Grok 4.3 chat access today, SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month is the only confirmed consumer plan. xAI is rolling Grok 4.3 out to the standard SuperGrok ($30) and X Premium+ ($40) tiers in stages, so most users may want to wait a couple of weeks before subscribing if Heavy is overkill.
If you build agents, do API integrations, or run large document workloads, the API at $1.25/M input is now competitive with DeepSeek on price while keeping native video and file output. That combination did not exist a month ago.
If you mostly want a chatbot that handles your daily writing, research, and image work, you are better served by a multi-model setup. Comparing Grok against ChatGPT shows where each model is strong: Grok wins on real-time information, X-data-aware queries, and price-per-token; ChatGPT and Claude still pull ahead on careful writing, technical depth, and multi-step planning.
If you are weighing this against the next release, our Grok 5 leak roundup has what xAI has confirmed about the next version. Grok 5 is far enough out that buying into 4.3 today is a safe bet.
Where Grok 4.3 Fits in the Best AI Models Landscape
Across the broader best AI models map, Grok 4.3 carves out a clear niche: cheap frontier-class reasoning with strong multimodal input and the most price-flexible plan structure on the market. It does not displace GPT-5.5 for raw intelligence or Claude Opus 4.7 for careful analytical work. It does, however, make Grok the obvious “second model” to keep on hand for video review, fast file output, and high-volume agentic work where price matters.
For Mac users specifically, the calculus is straightforward. Native apps for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini all shipped or got refreshed in April 2026. Grok still does not have one. Until xAI ships a Mac client, the cleanest way to run Grok 4.3 next to the others is Fello AI, which bundles Grok, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek into one Mac and iPhone app for $9.99/month.
Conclusion
Grok 4.3 is the most aggressive pricing play xAI has made yet, and the feature set finally justifies the attention. Native video input, real file output, and a 1M-token context, available now via the API at $1.25/M input and rolling out to the $30 SuperGrok plan, make it a serious option for daily AI work. You do not need to pay $200 to $300 for ChatGPT Pro or Claude Max to get this kind of capability anymore. It is not the smartest model, but it is the cheapest model that does this much.
Our recommendation: developers should jump straight to the API at $1.25/M input for the cheapest path. Chat users who need Grok 4.3 today have to take SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month, otherwise wait two to three weeks for the staged rollout to reach standard SuperGrok. And if you want Grok next to the other big models on Mac without juggling subscriptions, run them all in Fello AI.
FAQ
When did Grok 4.3 come out?
Grok 4.3 launched in beta on April 17, 2026 (locked to SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month) and reached full API availability on April 30, 2026. Access is rolling out to the standard $30 SuperGrok and $40 X Premium+ tiers in stages, with SuperGrok Heavy as the only confirmed consumer plan with full access today.
Is Grok 4.3 free?
There is a limited free tier through X and grok.com, but consumer Grok 4.3 chat access today requires SuperGrok Heavy at $300/month, with the standard $30 SuperGrok and $40 X Premium+ tiers receiving Grok 4.3 in a staged rollout. Developers can use the API at $1.25 per million input tokens.
Is Grok 4.3 better than GPT-5.5?
No. GPT-5.5 scores higher (60 vs 53) on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index and remains stronger on coding and complex reasoning. Grok 4.3 wins on price, real-time data, and native video input.
Can Grok 4.3 watch videos?
Yes. Grok 4.3 accepts video files up to 5 minutes long, at 1080p resolution or lower, in mp4, mov, or webm. Frames are extracted and billed as image tokens.
Can Grok 4.3 make PowerPoint decks?
Yes. Grok 4.3 generates native PowerPoint (PPTX), Excel (XLSX), and PDF files directly inside the chat, with no extra tooling needed.
Is SuperGrok Heavy worth $300/month?
If you specifically need 16-Agent Heavy parallel processing or guaranteed day-one Grok 4.3 chat access, yes. For most other users, the cheaper option is to wait for Grok 4.3 to reach the standard $30 SuperGrok tier, or to call the API directly at $1.25 per million input tokens.
