SCANNING● LIVE DATAUTC 2026-06-29 00:00:00
VENDORS 23RECEIPTS 32CRITICAL 57D 0 NEWv0.9.4-rc1
gotnerfedgotnerfed
gotnerfed · index of recordfiled · · receipt #grok-2026-01-tier-restored
RECEIPT#GROK-2026-01-RLRcalm
Grok (xAI)·General chat with X integration·scored0nerf/ 100

xAI rolls back Grok-4 rate-limit cut on Premium tier after subscriber backlash

After cutting Premium-tier Grok-4 daily query caps in late December, xAI walked the change back in January following extensive complaints on X. Reset to ~80% of pre-cut levels.

Filed
2026-01-22
Observed
2026-01-22
Response window
UNCONTESTED · DAY 30
Jurisdiction
MIT · public
GROK (XAI)NERFED0JAN 22, 2026INDEX · OF · RECORD
§ 01THE CHANGEBEFORE → AFTER · GENERAL CHAT WITH X INTEGRATION
− BEFORE · REMOVED2026-01-22
Premium Grok-4: ~50 queries/day (post-cut)
$8.00/mo·PREMIUM · ~50 Q/DAY (POST-CUT)·cap active 2025-12 to 2026-01
+ AFTER · CURRENT2026-01-22
Premium Grok-4: ~80 queries/day (restored, still below original)
$8.00/mo·PREMIUM · ~80 Q/DAY (RESTORED)·rolled back 2026-01-22
WAS$8 / mo · ~50 Grok-4 q/day
NOW
$8 / mo · ~80 Grok-4 q/day
+60%QUERY CAP RESTORATION
PREDICTED IMPACT · EST.LOW CONFIDENCE
USER IMPACTSmall subsetof users on edge configurations
12-MO FINANCIAL DAMAGENegligible direct costsoft friction only
CHURN PRESSURE · 30Dsettledvendor reversed course; trust partially restored
Estimate based on the receipt's Nerf Index (0 / 100), the severity flag, and the kind of change (rate limit raise). How we estimate ↗
§ 03VENDOR RESPONSE WINDOWCLOSED · UNCONTESTED
Grok (xAI) · response window UNCONTESTEDUNCONTESTED
FILED2026-01-22
MARKED UNCONTESTED2026-02-21
NOW · DAY 158

Grok (xAI) did not respond inside the 30-day window. This receipt now reads as uncontested in the public record.

§ 04EVIDENCE TRAIL1 SOURCES
CONTEXT · NARRATIVEfiled by gotnerfed · 2026-01-22

Rare example of a vendor reversing a nerf in response to user feedback.

Rare example of a vendor reversing a nerf in response to user feedback. The original cut was attributed to 'compute pressure during peak hours'; the rollback came with a vague commitment to better disclosure going forward.

DETECTED2026-01-22KINDRATE LIMIT RAISESEVERITYINFOSOURCES1VENDOR REPLYNONE
PRIMARY SOURCES · CHRONOLOGICAL01 / 01
§ 05NEXT STEP · ESCAPE POD4 RANKED ALTS
◆ FREE / OPEN-SOURCE ALTERNATIVES4 ranked replacements for Grok (xAI).avg score 90 / 100
OllamaFREE / OSS
MIT·130k

Easiest way to run a local LLM. Pair with Open WebUI for full ChatGPT replacement.

Open WebUIFREE / OSS
MIT·95k

The default ChatGPT-replacement self-host. Massive ecosystem.

MIT

Permissive (MIT) open-weight model targeting ChatGPT/Claude-class chat and agentic coding without API lock-in - the strongest open option for a self-hosted stack.

MIT

Drop-in open-weight replacement for the OpenAI/Anthropic chat APIs. Flash is the locally-runnable variant; serve it behind Open WebUI.

List manually curated · last reviewed 2026-05-13Open full picker
Filed by gotnerfed · public open-source watchdog · MIT licensed · no vendor moneyINDEX · OF · RECORD