The future is promising! Recharge $5 = $150/month, the richest man Musk lowers the price of paid AI API｜Grok

Elon Musk's xAI company provides developers with an attractive benefit: prepay $5 on its developer platform to get $150 worth of Grok API call quota per month. This article will record in detail the process from registering an account, configuring payment, activating quota, creating keys, to actually calling the API for testing, as well as the problems and thoughts encountered in the process, to provide you with a complete operation guide.

Part 1: Register a developer account and set up payment

1. Understand the activities and premises:
   • Welfare: Top up $5 USD and get $150 API quota per month.
   • Notice: The activity has been going on for some time; the currently available model may be a non-latest version such as Grok Beta; there are regional requirements for payment cards.
2. Login/Register: Visit the xAI Developer Platform, it is recommended to log in directly using a Google account to simplify the process.
3. Fill in US billing address:
   • Require: Must be a real US address, and a tax-free state address is recommended to avoid potential taxes.
   • Get: You can use tools such as Google Maps to find a suitable US address. The EIN field is optional and does not need to be filled in.
4. Configure payment method:
   • Options: Support Google Pay or directly bind credit card.
   • Card selection suggestions (important):
     • Avoid: European region cards (credit cannot be obtained).
     • First choice: US card.
     • Alternative (domestic users): Single label Visa/Mastercard.
     • hint: There is uncertainty, so it is recommended to prepare a few more cards to try (personal dual-standard cards can be used for payment via Google Pay).

Part 2: Activate your credit and create an API key

1. Complete $5 recharge: On the platform's bill/payment page, select a minimum of $5 USD for pre-charge and complete the payment.
2. Confirm amount: After the payment is successful, check the quota/usage section of your account and you should see that the API quota of $150/month has taken effect.
3. About the amount and model: The initial experience quota is consumed quickly, and the API is based on the Grok Beta model, so the capabilities need to be evaluated based on your needs. However, it is still valuable as a free option.
4. Create an API key:
   • Go to the Keys or similar management page.
   • Click Create New Key, give it a name (such as my-key).
   • Copy now and keep safeThe full API key generated, which is usually displayed only once.

Part 3: API usage testing and compatibility issues

1. Client configuration (taking Cherry Studio as an example):
   • Find the Grok/XAI option in the client's (such as Cherry Studio) settings and paste the API key.
2. Model testing:
   • choose Grok Beta Model.
   • Conduct simple tests: question and answer, write poetry (speed about 45 tokens/s, average quality), write code (basically usable).
3. API Endpoint: Grok API provides OpenAI compatible endpoints: https://api.x.ai/v1, which can be used with supported plugins or tools.
4. Problems encountered (AnythingLLM): When trying to configure the Grok API in AnythingLLM, I encountered a connection error regardless of whether I used the dedicated configuration or the general OpenAI mode. The reason is unknown and I would like to seek help from the community.

Summary and evaluation

xAI provides a Grok API quota of $150/month. Although there are model versions, quota consumption speed and potential compatibility issues, its application threshold is low (only $5 prepayment is required). For users who want to try out and learn Grok API or do not have paid API resources for the time being, it is a "freebie" opportunity that is worth considering. Its performance may not be perfect, but it does provide a usable option.