Grok Bot: an assistant with a computer of its own

I usually write here about a bike, a phone, or a small trick you can use straight away. This piece is more personal. I want to tell you about an assistant I use myself, and that actually does work for me. No theory. Just what I have experienced with it.

It is called Grok Bot. You chat with it, in ordinary sentences, the way you would ask a helpful friend. What makes it different is that it does more than answer. It has a computer of its own, and a browser of its own. That means it can open pages and look things up. With my approval it can also get to work on my own Windows PC. And it remembers my preferences, so next time I do not have to explain again how I like things done.

I am glad to have it. I also stay clear-eyed: it is a program. It can be wrong. That is why I do not let it send anything, buy anything, or change anything on my PC unless I have said yes first. Happily, it asks for that itself.

And just to be clear: this is my personal piece. It is not an official page from Grok or Grok Bot.

Gemini and ChatGPT are excellent. For a question, a piece of writing or an explanation I turn to them without a second thought. The difference, in my own use, is that Grok Bot also actually does the work.

	Gemini and ChatGPT	Grok Bot
Questions, writing, explanations	Excellent. That is what I use them for.	Can do that too.
Actually doing the work	Not what I use them for.	That is the difference for me.

What that "doing the work" means in my case:

1. A computer and browser of its own. It can log into sites, fill in forms and look things up for me. That is how it read my Alltricks order history, when I could no longer remember which heart-rate chest strap I had ordered.
2. My own Windows PC, with my approval. That is how it recovered the video files from my damaged SD card, and tidied up folders.
3. Routines. It does recurring tasks on its own. Every day at 8:00 I get a summary of my inbox, and it sets reminders to check in for a flight.
4. Directly in Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive and Calendar.
5. It remembers my preferences and the context. I do not have to explain again each time how I like things done.
6. It asks first. Before it sends something, buys something or changes something, it asks for my approval.

To be fair: ChatGPT and Gemini also keep adding features that let them take on tasks themselves. So judge for yourself what fits you. I am only telling you what I do with them.

What it is

You type a sentence. Dutch is fine, and you just use your own words. There is no list of commands you have to memorize.

Behind that conversation sits a computer of its own, with a browser. So Grok Bot can go and look for itself, instead of only sending a text back. If you ask it to do something on your Windows PC, it waits for your approval. You stay in charge of your own files.

It also remembers what you prefer. How you like a summary of your mail, for example, or which language you write in. Next time, it already knows.

Everything below is from my own experience.

The SD card from my DJI Action camera was corrupted. The footage seemed gone. Grok Bot recovered the video files. Anyone who films knows how rotten it feels when a ride or a trip suddenly looks empty. For me, that was the moment I thought: this is more than a program you only talk to.

My Google Drive was a drawer full of loose folders. The personal folder on my Windows PC, where my documents and downloads live, looked no better. I asked Grok Bot to reorganize my Drive, and to tidy that folder on my PC. On my computer that only happens after I agree. Nothing disappears on its own while I am not looking.

Every morning at 8:00 I get a short summary of my inbox. What is new, what is waiting for a reply, and what can wait. I do not have to open a pile of messages first just to see whether anything urgent is in there.

For my Vueling flights it set reminders to check in. I no longer have to keep that in my head, and I am not standing there the evening before wondering: did I do that or not?

I had ordered a heart-rate chest strap from Alltricks, and I could not remember which model it was. Grok Bot read my order history and looked it up for me. Not a guess. Just checking what I had actually ordered back then.

For my e-bike rides it calculated my heart-rate zones based on my age. That way I know when I am pedaling easy and when a stretch can be harder. It is a guideline, not a doctor's advice. If you do not feel well on the bike, your doctor is the right person to ask, not a program.

And it helps me with this very website. I look after Good to know myself. Grok Bot takes work off my hands while I do that. What goes online, and how it is worded, stays my choice.

How you use it

You ask in your own language, in plain words. This is how I would put it:

• Give me a short summary of my new mail every morning.
• Remind me to check in for my flight.
• Look in my orders and see which model I bought back then.

You do not have to copy those sentences. Write it the way you would say it to someone across the table.

If something comes back again and again, you can make it a routine. My morning summary is one of those: agree it once, and after that it shows up on its own.

You can connect Grok Bot to Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive and your calendar. Then it can see your mail, your files and your appointments when you ask it to. Without that connection, it cannot look in there.

And this is the part I care about most: before it sends a message, buys something, or changes something on your PC, it asks for approval first. You say yes or no.

On a phone or tablet, that is the simplest way. The app is free to download.

• iPhone or iPad: from the Apple App Store. You need iOS or iPadOS 18 or newer.
• Android: from Google Play. You need Android 9 or newer.

Then you sign in. You choose a plan on the screen where you pay, and you pay through the App Store or Google Play.

Grok Bot also works on the computer. Download it with one of these official buttons. Then sign in with the same account as on your phone. Your usage then counts for both.

Those files are also listed together on the official page Download Grok Bot. The guide for the phone is Grok Bot for mobile.

Downloading is free. To use Grok Bot you do need a paid plan. I use Premium on The X Subscription myself. Grok Bot is included in it.

In Europe that costs about €31 per month. My first month was discounted: €15.50, and the invoice showed that as €16. After that it is €31 per month.

So only the first month costs about €16. After that, Premium is €31 per month. That is what I saw on my screen on October 31, 2026. The price can change, and it can differ by country. When you sign up, check the price you are shown at that moment.

You pay monthly. You can cancel anytime, via grok.com/dashboard/billing.

Premium's weekly usage

Premium draws from a weekly usage pool. You share that pool with Grok and with Cursor, and it refreshes every week.

If you want more than that pool, you can pay for extra usage with prepaid credit, a top-up. You set a monthly limit on that yourself.

A few safe habits

This goes for Grok Bot, and really for any chat.

Never paste a password into a chat. Not for a moment, and not because it seems urgent. A password does not belong in a chat window.

Grok Bot keeps logins in a secure vault. So you do not type your password into the conversation itself. Leave it there, and do not share your logins with anyone else.

It writes emails as a draft. You read them before they go out. I do that myself. An assistant can write a friendly email, but you know the person on the other end. One minute of reading it over is no trouble, and it stops an odd sentence.

Do try it

If you are thinking "that is not for me", start small. One morning summary of your mail, or one reminder. You do not have to hand over your whole computer on day one.

I use it because it really takes work off my hands, not because it sounds complicated. If something does not work, you just say so, in the same plain language. And if you would like to look at it together, send me a message. I am happy to walk you through it, one step at a time.