by
- 1The live question, and the four cash registers
- 2What we checked, not what we guessed
- 3Tie it to the ladder we already teach
The question was which cafeteria pays. Cursor, grok.com, and Grok Bot are separate meters. Ultra’s $400 is Other Models, not extra Grok. We drew the cash registers and published the map.
4cafeterias, not one brain
2Cursor piggy banks
6diagrams on the SOP
The live question, and the four cash registers
The live question was fifth-grade honest: Claude Cowork felt expensive. Codex felt cheaper. Cursor Grok 4.6 felt cheaper still. Grok Bot extra credits after a weekly ticket are grocery prices. Do not annualize them. Maybe Cursor was cheaper only because the limit is monthly?
Yes, Cursor’s included pools reset monthly. That is one real reason. It is not the only one, and it is not a reason to annualize GrokBot extra credits as if they were Cursor.
Three numbers were glued together that do not glue:
- SuperGrok Heavy $300/mo is grok.com’s weekly buffet (Chat + Build + Imagine + Voice sharing one pool). It is also one door into Grok Bot. Linking Heavy can unlock Cursor Ultra at $0. The usage bars still do not mix.
- Cursor Ultra $200/mo is a different company’s workshop. It rents Grok 4.6 in a Cursor Models pool, and it includes Grok Bot. You do not need grok.com if you live in Cursor.
- Ultra’s $400 is the Other Models pool — Claude, GPT, Gemini inside Cursor at API prices. It is not extra Grok.
The fourth glue was the launch sticker: 2× included Grok 4.6 usage in Cursor and Grok Build for the first week after 12 Aug 2026, plus a 50% on-demand discount. A 4% bar during that week is not the forever bar.
Grok Bot is the named-roster product announced 11 Aug 2026. Heavy’s four-at-once reply is a one-chat trick. Linking Heavy can unlock Ultra; the usage bars still do not mix. Desk SOP: /grok-bot/.
What we checked, not what we guessed
| Claim | Source we opened |
|---|---|
| Two monthly Cursor pools; Ultra Other Models = $400 | cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing and usage-limits |
| Grok 4.6 lives in Cursor Models; Fast is 2×; 50% launch discount | cursor.com/docs/models/grok-4-6 |
| 2× included first week in Cursor and Grok Build | cursor.com/blog/grok-4-6 and x.ai/news/grok-4-6 (12 Aug 2026) |
| Claude Max $100 / $200; 5-hour + weekly; extra = API credits | Anthropic Max help + usage-credits help |
| Codex 5-hour ranges + extra credits after the cap | chatgpt.com/codex/pricing and OpenAI credits help |
| GrokBot weekly pool, Extra Credits at standard rates, expire in 1 year | docs.x.ai Grok FAQ (grok.com). Grok Bot the roster: x.ai/news/introducing-grok-bot (11 Aug 2026) + docs.x.ai/grok-bot |
| Ultra includes Grok Bot; Heavy can unlock Ultra at $0; Pro/Pro+ do not include it | cursor.com/help/grok-bot/plans and supergrok-heavy |
The SOP tells every reader to open their own spending tab. Meters are separate: Cursor Models, Other Models, Grok Bot weekly, and grok.com Extra Credits do not pour into each other. Watch the Grok Bot weekly bar before you add routines. Glossary: /skills-and-routines/.
Tie it to the ladder we already teach
We already tell people a skill is a function and an agent is a person. We already tell them a job needs a schedule, a QA cycle, and working files. We already tell them batch nights belong on a local model. None of that said which cafeteria pays.
That hole is how extra credits look like “keep going” instead of grocery prices. Watch the Grok Bot weekly bar before you add routines.
The map now lives at /usage-buckets/. The product split (workshop vs named roster vs four-at-once reply) lives at /grok-bot/. They sit next to persistent agents and the overnight worker. The older ChatGPT-to-Claude piece still stands as the 2026 quality test. 18 Aug 2026 map: Grok Bot (named roster) is not Heavy’s four-agent reply.
Lesson that goes back into routing: pick the shop before you pick the model. Cursor Grok 4.6 for Process / building. Grok Bot for named always-on staff. Local Qwen for article 17 of 45. Thin Claude for judgment. Skip grok.com if you need a harness. Extra credits are not “Grok being expensive.” They are the red box after a weekly ticket.
THE DELIVERABLE
The SOP with the six diagrams. Use that page, not this receipt.
Open the usage-buckets SOPStanding receipt, 18 Aug 2026, per the meta article prompt against /usage-buckets/ and /grok-bot/. Related: skill is how, routine is when · let the model pick the model · overnight worker · The System.
Originally published .
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is the CEO of Local Service Spotlight, a platform that amplifies the reputations of contractors and local service businesses using the Content Factory process. He is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other brands.
Dennis has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs by partnering with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Through Local Service Spotlight, he teaches the Dollar a Day strategy and Content Factory training to help local service businesses enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring.
Dennis coaches young adult agency owners serving plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians, and believes there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers must be certified. He has appeared on 353 podcasts with 619 credited episodes — see the full list of his podcast appearances.