Last verified: September 5, 2026 (Pacific). API figures from xAI developer pricing and Anthropic model cards. Consumer seat prices vary by store and region — confirm at x.ai and claude.com before you pay.
Direct answer: Grok is cheaper per token at every comparable rung. Claude is cheaper only if you stay on Sonnet 5 ($2/$10) or Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5) and never call Fable. Consumer stickers look inverted: Claude Pro is $20, SuperGrok is about $30. The catch is what the seat includes. Pro does not include Fable. Max includes Fable only up to 50% of the weekly pool. Grok has no public $10/$50 SKU.
Consumer seats
| Grok (xAI) | Claude (Anthropic) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Metered on grok.com and X | Metered, Sonnet |
| Everyday paid | SuperGrok ~$30/mo (X Premium+ bundle ~$40) | Pro $20/mo |
| Heavy individual | Plus ~$100 or Heavy ~$300 | Max 5x $100 / Max 20x $200 |
| Team | Grok Business ~$30/seat | Team ~$20–25/seat annual |
Claude Pro wins the $20 vs $30 sticker. Max 20x ($200) undercuts SuperGrok Heavy ($300). They are not the same product: Claude splits models by plan. Fable 5 / 5.1 is included on Max and premium Team/Enterprise seats only, capped at half the weekly bar. Pro and Team Standard pay usage credits from the first Fable token. Details: Fable pricing and plan access and Claude Code limits (Sep 2026).
API rates per million tokens
Grok. Official xAI card. Prompts that reach 200k tokens are billed at 2× for the whole request.
| Model | In / out | Context | Cached input |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Build 0.1 | $1 / $2 | 256k | $0.20 |
| Grok 4.3 / 4.20 | $1.25 / $2.50 | 1M | $0.20 |
| Grok 4.5 / 4.6 | $2 / $6 | 500k | $0.30–$0.50 |
Claude.
| Model | In / out | Context | Cache read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiku 4.5 | $1 / $5 | 200k | $0.10 |
| Sonnet 5 | $2 / $10 | 1M | $0.20 |
| Opus 5 | $5 / $25 | 1M | $0.50 |
| Fable 5.1 | $10 / $50 | 1M | $0.25 |
Fable 5.1 headline rates match Fable 5. The Sep 1 change was cache reads: $1.00 → $0.25. A cold Fable call is still the expensive product.
Same-class pairing
- Everyday production: Grok 4.3 ($1.25/$2.50) vs Sonnet 5 ($2/$10). Grok is cheaper, especially on output.
- Flagship work: Grok 4.6 ($2/$6) vs Opus 5 ($5/$25). Grok still cheaper on list.
- Top shelf: Grok has no $10/$50 public model. Fable 5.1 is 5× Grok 4.6 input and about 8× output.
Worked example
10M input + 2M output, no cache, short prompts:
- Grok 4.6: $20 + $12 = $32
- Sonnet 5: $20 + $20 = $40
- Opus 5: $50 + $50 = $100
- Fable 5.1: $100 + $100 = $200
Batch: Claude 50% off on supported models. Grok 20% off on 4.3 / 4.20 only — not on 4.5 / 4.6.
Rules that are not the rate card
- Claude subscriptions use two clocks: a rolling 5-hour session and a weekly bucket. Claude Code’s +50% weekly promo ends September 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. Official Help Center: weekly limits then return to standard. The 5-hour window does not change.
- Grok API doubles the request once the prompt hits 200k tokens. Current Claude Sonnet / Opus / Fable cards do not use that surcharge.
- Cache is the only place Fable 5.1 looks cheap at the top. Reused prefixes at $0.25/MTok. Fresh prompts at $10/$50.
When to buy which
Buy Grok for volume, agents, or coding at $2/$6 where Grok 4.6 is enough.
Buy Claude when the job needs Fable-class long horizon and you will pay for it — or when Sonnet 5 at $2/$10 is enough and the team already lives in Claude Code.
Do not pick from the consumer sticker alone. A $20 Claude Pro seat that immediately burns Fable credits can cost more than a $30 SuperGrok seat that never leaves Grok 4.6.
FAQ
Is SuperGrok cheaper than Claude Pro?
No on the monthly line: Pro is $20, SuperGrok is about $30. Yes on many API workloads, because Grok 4.6 undercuts Opus 5 and Fable 5.1 by a wide margin.
Is Claude always more expensive on the API?
No. Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 5 sit near Grok Build / Grok 4.3. The Claude premium starts at Opus and jumps again at Fable.
Does Claude Pro include Fable 5.1?
No. Credits from the first token. Included Fable is Max and premium seats, 50% of weekly limits. See Fable plan access.
Related: Claude plan pricing · Grok vs Claude (capability comparison — older lineup) · Claude Code limits.