DeployGrok Bot vs self-hosted rakazo: what differs, what it costs
Grok Bot is the official AI teammate from SpaceXAI + Cursor: there is no standalone subscription — you use it through a paid X Premium or Cursor tier, and the bots run on the official cloud computers. Rakazo is its open-source, self-hosted counterpart (Apache-2.0, by elie222): the same "always-on AI teammate" shape, but running on your own server, with models connected through your own accounts.
| Dimension | Grok Bot (official) | Rakazo (self-hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | X Premium from $30/month (higher tiers $100 / $200), or Cursor Pro from $20/month, Teams $40–120 per seat | A VPS at roughly €5–13/month, plus the Claude/ChatGPT subscription you already have (or pay-per-token API keys) |
| Where the data lives | The official cloud computer | Your own server — conversations, memory, and files stay on your disk |
| Model choice | Set by the platform | Yours: Claude / ChatGPT subscription sign-in (OAuth), or API keys / OpenRouter / local models |
| Clients | Inside the official products | Web + desktop (Mac/Win/Linux) + iOS + Android, with a Simplified Chinese UI option |
| Getting started | Pay and use | One server + one deployment (our free guide, or done-for-you) |
| Operations | The vendor's job | Yours (or a hosting plan); back up before upgrading, roll back if needed |
| Maturity | Shipping product | Beta, moving very fast; features include per-bot memory, routines, browser/terminal/desktop, bot-to-bot delegation, role templates |
How to choose
Pick the official route if you never want to touch a server, budget is not the constraint, and you want it working today. Pick self-hosting if you already pay for Claude/ChatGPT, want your data on your own machine, and accept one deployment in exchange for a permanently lower running cost — which is exactly the step our guides and deployment service exist to remove. The full running-cost maths is on our cost breakdown.
Next step: read the full install guide, or watch the live demo first.
Prices and features compiled from public sources, October 2026. Check the official pages before subscribing or buying.