ControlClawvsGGrok Bot

Grok Bot review and alternative

Grok Bot: review and open-source alternative

A plain description of xAI's always-on AI agent, the facts worth knowing before you rely on it, an honest review, and a side-by-side comparison with ControlClaw.

Updated November 7, 2026. Grok Bot details come from xAI's public pages. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Description

What is Grok Bot?

Grok Bot is xAI's hosted, always-on AI agent. It launched in beta in August 2026. You create named Bots and give each one a job, such as sales outreach or expenses. They run on a cloud computer that xAI keeps on for you. A Bot can sign in to your apps and websites, use them the way a person would, and come back when it has finished or needs your approval.

The agent is closed source and fully hosted. Every Bot on your account shares one cloud computer, with its files, browser logins and command line. You talk to your Bots from a desktop app, a phone app, Slack, X Chat or email. The Bots can message each other and hand work between themselves. The product is sold with Cursor and X Premium as part of The X Subscription, and you sign in with a Cursor account.

OpenClaw created this kind of agent in the open. Grok Bot is a closed version of it. So the comparison below is really between two ways to get a persistent agent: a closed service on the vendor's computer, or open-source software run for you on your own server, with guardrails around it.

Useful info

Grok Bot at a glance.

What xAI has published, and what it has not.

Grok Bot is included with The X Subscription from the Premium tier, at $30 per person a month. Super at $100 and Ultra at $200 give more usage. Each seat gets a weekly usage pool shared between Grok Bot, the Grok apps and Cursor. After that, you pay for extra usage from prepaid credit. There is no published limit on how many Bots you can create, but they all share one cloud computer, and xAI says separate Bots are not a security boundary. The computer is a Linux machine hosted by Cursor. You cannot pick its region, and xAI does not publish where it is.

You cannot choose the model. Grok Bot picks one for each task, from xAI's own models or from other providers Cursor works with, and does not show you which one it used. Each Bot keeps its own memory. You can ask it what it remembers and tell it to forget, but there is no published export. Auto Review checks each action against your Ask first and Allow rules and shows an approval card when it needs you. Logins and cards go in a Vault the Bot cannot read. Teams and enterprises manage Bots from the Cursor dashboard. Audit logs and action recording are Enterprise features.

Type: Hosted, closed-source always-on agent; several Bots per account
Agents per plan: No published limit; all Bots share one cloud computer
Where it runs: A Cursor-hosted Linux cloud computer; region not selectable, location not published
Models: Picked per task by Grok Bot; not shown, not selectable
Memory: Per Bot, stored by the vendor; ask the Bot to see or forget it; no published export
Setup: Minutes; install the app and sign in with a Cursor account
Safety controls: Auto Review rules, approval cards, Vault for logins; you take over for CAPTCHAs and single sign-on
Team admin: Teams and Enterprise in the Cursor dashboard; audit logs on Enterprise
Pricing: From $30 per person a month on The X Subscription; extra usage from prepaid credit
Open source: No

Honest review

Grok Bot review: a real agent team, all on one shared computer

We run the competing product, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to be fair; where Grok Bot is better, we say so.

Grok Bot is more complete than most hosted agents. The approvals are real. Auto Review checks every action, you can write up to twenty Ask first rules and twenty Allow rules, and text from an email or a web page never counts as your request. Passwords and cards live in a Vault the Bot fills in without seeing. You can reach your Bots from more places than we expected: desktop, phone, Slack, X Chat, voice and the Bot's own email address. Showing a Bot a task once and having it saved as a routine is a good idea. And for one person, the price with AI usage included is lower than ours.

The trade is separation and control. Every Bot on your account shares one computer, with the same files, browser logins and saved keys. xAI's own docs say not to treat separate Bots as a security boundary. You cannot pick the model, see which one ran, or choose where the computer is, and xAI does not publish the location. Memory stays with the vendor, with no export. The agent is closed source, your account is a Cursor account, and the included usage is a weekly pool that routines and Bot-to-Bot messages draw from. A record of what Bots actually did is an Enterprise feature, off by default. On Teams you get the chat history. Approvals raised by background work expire after thirty minutes, so a routine that hits a question at 3am simply stops.

Every hosted agent raises one more question. If the product changes direction or is retired, the Bots and their memory go with it. Grok Bot is three months old and has already moved from a beta for SuperGrok and Cursor subscribers to a bundle with X Premium. An open-source agent on a server you can export from does not have that problem.

What Grok Bot does well

Approval cards with Ask first rules; outside text never counts as your request
A Vault for logins and cards the Bot cannot read
Many ways in: desktop, phone, Slack, X Chat, voice and email
Several Bots that hand work to each other, plus "teach a task" and scheduled routines
Lower price for one person, with AI usage included

Where it falls short

All your Bots share one computer; xAI says it is not a security boundary
No choice of model, and no view of which one ran
Server location not published or selectable; no self-hosting
Memory held by the vendor, no export; closed source
Audit of Bot actions only on Enterprise, off by default; no meetings or phone calls

Verdict

A capable agent team for one person or a small team that already pays for Cursor or X and is comfortable with everything on one vendor-run computer. Not a fit when you need to know where the agent runs, keep agents apart from each other, choose the model, or leave with your agent intact.

Grok Bot vs ControlClaw

Both are always on. Only one is yours.

Same

A persistent agent that works while you sleep

Both keep running without a laptop open, remember context, act across your tools and ask before risky actions.

Different

Open on your server versus closed on theirs

ControlClaw runs OpenClaw you can read, fork and move, each agent on its own server. Grok Bot runs closed code on one shared computer that xAI hosts, with a model it picks for you.

Who

Teams with rules versus Cursor and X subscribers

Grok Bot fits a person or team already on The X Subscription. ControlClaw fits a team that needs allow-lists, a model and region of its choice, and one agent per server.

Feature comparison: ControlClaw vs Grok Bot

Feature	ControlClaw	Grok Bot
Ownership
Agent code	YesOpen-source OpenClaw, on GitHub	NoClosed source
Where it runs	Hetzner or AWS in EU, US, UK, Singapore, or your own cloud	PartialCursor-hosted cloud computer; one per user, shared by all your Bots
Models	Any provider, or your own LLM subscription	NoPicked per task by Grok Bot; not shown, not selectable
Memory and data	YesYours; export any time, dedicated server per agent	PartialHeld by the vendor; ask the Bot to see or forget; no published export
Leaving	YesExport the agent and run OpenClaw anywhere	NoA share link copies a Bot's settings only; no portable agent
Safety
Secrets	YesHeld by the Firewall, never on the agent	YesVault fills logins and cards without the Bot seeing them
Prompt-injection screening	YesInbound content inspected, rules you set	PartialOutside text never counts as a request; xAI says its checks reduce the risk, not remove it
Approvals	YesOne queue, full context, audit trail	YesApproval cards and Ask first rules; background approvals expire after 30 minutes
Email and calendar allow-lists	YesBy domain, address or group	PartialOutgoing email waits as a draft; admins can restrict Bot email; no published allow-lists
Spend and tool limits	YesPer agent, enforced outside the agent	PartialAccount-level usage caps; no Grok Bot-specific spend cap
Capabilities
Always on	YesDedicated server per agent	YesShared cloud computer, scheduled routines
Email	Own mailbox with AgentMail or your Gmail	YesOwn address at mail.grokbot.com, or Gmail and Outlook
Meetings and calls	YesJoins Meet, Zoom, Teams and phone calls	NoVoice chat with a Bot only; joining meetings or calls not published
Multiple agents	YesFleet, templates, shared Brain	YesSeveral Bots, handoffs and group chats, on one shared computer
Browser and passwords	YesVaulted; the agent never sees them	YesVault; you take over for single sign-on, passkeys and CAPTCHAs
Commercial
Price	From $19/mo including a Small server	From $30 per person a month, AI usage included
Data location	EU, US, UK or Singapore, your pick	NoNot selectable, not published
Trial	Fourteen days, no charge, card required	PartialA usage credit on some accounts, 7-day window

YesIncludedPartialAvailable in some form, see noteNoNot part of the serviceUnknownNot documented

"Not published" means we could not find it in xAI's docs. If xAI publishes it, we will update the row.

Which should you pick

Grok Bot or ControlClaw: match the job

Pick Grok Bot

You already pay for Cursor or X, and one computer is fine.

You are one person, or a small team on The X Subscription
You want Bots in Slack, X Chat and on your phone from day one
You do not need to choose the model or the region
Your Bots can share files and logins with each other
You do not need a log of what they did beyond the chat

Pick ControlClaw

You need to know where it runs and what it may do.

Open-source code you can audit and fork
EU or other data location on request
Allow-lists and approvals before it emails or pays
One server per agent, with any model you choose
The option to leave with your agent intact

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Pricing

Grok Bot vs ControlClaw pricing

No per-message pricing on ControlClaw. Agents, seats, the firewall and starter AI usage are in the plan; bring your own LLM subscription if you have one. Grok Bot is priced per person with a weekly usage pool.

One agent on ControlClaw Solo, Small server, EU$19 / mo

Five Standard agents on Team, five seats$99 / mo

AI usage beyond the included amountProvider price

Grok Bot on The X Subscription Premium, per person$30 / mo

Grok Bot with more usage: Super or Ultra, per person$100 or $200 / mo

Grok Bot usage beyond the weekly poolPrepaid credit, by token cost

FAQ

Grok Bot vs ControlClaw: common questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Grok Bot?

Yes. OpenClaw is the open-source always-on agent, and ControlClaw runs it for you with an AI Firewall, approvals and a team console, on servers in the region you choose.

Which AI model does Grok Bot use?

You cannot pick one. Grok Bot chooses a model for each task, from xAI's own or from third-party providers on Cursor's list, and does not show which one it used. On ControlClaw you choose the provider and model, or bring your own subscription.

Are my Grok Bots kept apart from each other?

No. All the Bots on one account share one cloud computer, including files, browser logins and command-line credentials. xAI says not to treat separate Bots as a security boundary. On ControlClaw each agent has its own server.

Can I move my Grok Bot work to ControlClaw?

Partly. Copy a Bot's instructions and skills into a new agent and reconnect your accounts. There is no automatic import, because Grok Bot has no published memory export.

Which is cheaper?

For one person, Grok Bot: $30 a month with AI usage included. ControlClaw Solo starts at $19 a month for the server, firewall and approvals. AI usage beyond the included amount is at the provider's price. For a team with several agents, compare $99 for five agents on ControlClaw with $30 per seat on Grok Bot.

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Your agents, on your servers, with your rules.

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