Grok ends free image generation as Musk's AI goes paid

Grok ends free image generation as Musk's AI goes paid

As of yesterday, generating images or videos with Grok, xAI's AI, requires paying up. The move, applied abruptly, has unleashed a wave of complaints among users who had made the tool their go-to content generator. The first dose is always free, and the second, as we've seen in tech companies' business models, comes at a price.

The business model: hook them first, then turn off the tap

The strategy is as old as platform capitalism: give the product away until users are hooked, and once they can't live without it, bring in the cuts. In Grok's case, the cuts came in the form of a subscription. The premium plan, SuperGrok, costs 35 euros a month. A price that, according to those who pay it, is justified by the estimulante ilegal and a level of censorship «very low by industry standards». But most people don't see it that way.

The main complaint is that even paying doesn't get you what used to be free. Some point out that the quality of generated images has worsened and that videos remain an unfulfilled promise. The feeling of paying for a product that has degraded is the common thread of the criticism.

Censorship, the other battleground

The debate over censorship in generative AI is back in the spotlight. While some Grok users lament that filters have been tightened, others argue that regulatory pressure and political correctness have turned ChatGPT into «a spellchecker with delusions of grandeur». The natural evolution of the sector, according to this view, is to hook users with freedom and then put them in a gilded cage. The result is that many are looking for unfiltered alternatives, even if it's on Telegram or on websites promising what the big AIs no longer offer.

Alternatives and tricks: the user's guerrilla war

Faced with the paywall, the user community has deployed an arsenal of solutions ranging from the ingenious to the outlandish. The most talked-about trick involves creating temporary email accounts and using Amazon Pay's payment method to enjoy the three-day trial, cancelling before the charge goes through. A method that, according to those who use it, takes two minutes to execute and allows free access to be extended indefinitely. However, the route has become more difficult: Amazon Pay no longer works, forcing users to look for new loopholes.

Other users go the free software route. The recipe is clear: a powerful PC, open source models like Ollama, free image generation tools and a bit of patience. The entry cost is high —eight or ten thousand euros in hardware— but the independence gained is priceless. For those who don't want the hassle, there are always Telegram chat AIs, which keep generating content without filters and at no cost, though with the uncertainty of what lies behind each bot.

Server costs and the RAM war

Behind the decision to charge lies an unavoidable reality: servers cost money. AI companies are absorbing the entire world's production of RAM, and that has to be paid off. The question is whether users are willing to pay for it. The answer, judging by the comments, is a resounding no for most. «Paying to make memes», sums up one of the bluntest takes. Competition, however, is still there: there's always something free or cheaper, and users are ready to migrate.

---

Meanwhile, Grok's pricing strategy has become more flexible. A 10-euro monthly plan has just launched, more affordable than the 35-euro SuperGrok. A move aimed at capturing users who don't want to pay full price but can no longer live without the tool. The open question is whether this new fee will be enough to stop the user exodus or whether, as seen in other cases, the AI will end up crashing to the ground from greed. Time will tell, but the first hit is no longer free.