Source-backed analysis8
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
8 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
X (Twitter) Review
The public short-post network, now tied to Grok and xAI's combined subscription
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- iOS
- Android
- Web
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
X suits people who want real-time news, discussion and public figures on one open platform. The trade-offs are ads on the free tier, broad data collection that may feed AI training, and paid plans that were just restructured into The X Subscription in October 2026.
Best for: People following news, sports, tech and public figures in real time
Skip it if: People who want a small, private circle with little public content
Pros
- Free to post, follow and message; interface in 40+ languages (including English, Vietnamese, Japanese)
- High store ratings: 4.58/5 on the US App Store (11M+ ratings), 4.8/5 on Google Play
- Paid plans add long posts up to 25,000 characters, post editing, Media Studio and Grok
Cons
- The policy allows data use for AI model training and sharing with third-party collaborators unless you opt out
- Paid plans were just restructured (Plus, Premium, Super, Ultra), making price comparison harder while legacy X Premium tiers remain
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- Published content rules and optional government-ID verification for Premium subscribers
Cons
- Labelled adult content is allowed by the rules, so sensitive or contentious material may appear
Best for
- Creators, journalists and businesses wanting a public channel to a global audience
Skip it if
- Anyone who does not want their data used for AI training or personalised ads
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
X, formerly Twitter, is a short-post social network run by X Corp. According to Wikipedia, Twitter was founded in March 2006 and launched publicly in July 2006. Elon Musk bought it in October 2022 for $44 billion, and the platform was renamed X in July 2023. xAI acquired X Corp. in March 2025, and SpaceX acquired xAI in February 2026.
Users post, repost, like, send direct messages and make audio or video calls; Wikipedia also lists Spaces, Community Notes and Grok. The free tier limits posts to 280 characters. Per the help center, paid plans allow posts up to 25,000 characters, a 1-hour edit window, longer video uploads and more tools. The App Store lists over 40 languages.
Pricing and plans
X Premium has three tiers: Basic, Premium and Premium+. US web prices per the help center are $3, $8 and $40 per month, or $32, $84 and $395 per year; Vietnamese web prices are 70,875 ₫, 189,000 ₫ and 1,020,600 ₫ per month. On 12 October 2026 xAI announced The X Subscription, bundling X, Grok and Cursor into one plan with Free, Plus ($8), Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) tiers per month. Existing X Premium subscribers are not required to switch and keep their plan, price and features. App Store and Google Play prices may differ from web prices.
Privacy and safety
Your profile is always public; you may use a real name or a pseudonym. The policy says X may use data and public information to train models, and third-party collaborators may use data for their own AI unless you opt out. X's rules prohibit harassment, hateful conduct and private information, but allow properly labelled adult content.
More analysis
Compared with alternatives
Meta's Threads and Bluesky are also short-post networks; Mastodon is decentralised. Wikipedia notes X's mobile usage has declined as Threads has grown. X stands out for real-time discussion and its tie to Grok, while the others differ in data policy and how they are run.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Free
PersonalFree
Free to use, with ads. The Free tier of The X Subscription also gives daily Grok access with limits and a starter Cursor allowance.
Plus
Personal$8/mo
Checkmark, creator tools, fewer ads, more Grok and Cursor usage. Monthly price per xAI's X Subscription announcement (12 Oct 2026); the page lists no annual price.
Premium
Personal$30/mo
Includes the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+ (previously $90/month combined), with 4x Plus usage.
Super
Personal$100/mo
Everything in Premium, with 15x Plus usage.
Ultra
Personal$200/mo
Everything in Premium, with 50x Plus usage. Existing X Premium subscribers keep their plan, price and features (US web pricing: Basic $3/month or $32/year, Premium $8/month or $84/year, Premium+ $40/month or $395/year).
- Free plan limits
- Posting, following, messaging and reading are free with ads. Posts beyond 280 characters (up to 25,000), editing posts and the checkmark need a paid plan.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
The help center has a refund FAQ for X Premium, but its answer was not visible when consulted. For The X Subscription, xAI says customers who switch from an old plan get a prorated refund for it. X also states it may remove the checkmark without a refund if terms are violated or the account is suspended.
Privacy
X's privacy policy (effective 15 January 2026) says profile information and public posts are viewable by anyone. X collects account details (email or phone number, date of birth), approximate location, log data, device identifiers, data from ad partners and, with consent, biometric information for safety. Data is used to personalise content and ads, and with public information may help train X's machine learning or AI models. Third-party collaborators may use data to train their own AI models unless you opt out. Direct messages may reach a third-party service if the recipient uses X through it.
X (Twitter) alternatives
6.8/10Bluesky
A short-post social network built on the open AT Protocol
6.8/10A vast forum of 100,000+ topic communities, from news to niche hobbies
Frequently asked questions
Is X free?
Yes. Posting, following and messaging are free with ads. Paid plans add features such as long posts, post editing and a checkmark.
What is X Premium now?
Per the help center, X Premium is now part of The X Subscription, one plan for X, Grok and Cursor. Existing X Premium subscribers keep their plan, price and features until they choose to switch.
How much do the paid plans cost?
Per xAI, The X Subscription has Plus at $8, Premium at $30, Super at $100 and Ultra at $200 per month. Legacy X Premium on US web is $3, $8 and $40 per month.
Does X support Vietnamese?
Yes. The App Store lists Vietnamese among the app's languages.
Review evidence & sources8
Scores
- Ease of use
- 8.0
- Features
- 8.5
- Value for money
- 7.0
- Performance
- 7.5
- Support
- 4.8
- Privacy & security
- 4.0
Why this score
4.58/5 on the US App Store across 11M+ ratings and 4.8/5 on Google Play. No separate independent usability data was found.
Why this score
Posts, messaging, Spaces, Community Notes and Grok; paid plans add long posts, post editing, Media Studio and Articles.
Why this score
The core is free but ad-supported. Paid plans run from $3/month (X Premium Basic) to $200/month (Ultra), and two parallel price lists make comparison harder.
Why this score
The App Store lists version 12.42.1 released 9 November 2026 and the Google Play rating is high. No independent performance measurements were found.
Why this score
A public help center exists, but the pages consulted show no direct support channel for free users; the help center has separate FAQs on subscriber support preference.
Why this score
Public profiles and posts, broad collection, permitted use for AI training and sharing with ad partners, including third-party collaborators unless you opt out. Partly offset by a setting controlling data sharing with business partners.
What users say
- App Store (United States)4.6/5 · 11,184,215
- App Store (Vietnam)4.7/5 · 336,982
- Google Play4.8/5 · 24,800,000
Sources
- Vendor-providedX Premium help page and pricing tableNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedX Privacy PolicyNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedThe X RulesNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedxAI: The X Subscription (2026-10-12)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (Vietnam)Nov 10, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: TwitterNov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- X Corp.
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 2006
- Category
- Social
Capabilities
- Mobile app
- AI features
- Integrations
Platforms
- iOS
- Android
- Web
Interface languages
- Vietnamese
- English
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Spanish
- French
- Korean
- German
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Thai
- Indonesian
Integrations
- Grok
- Cursor
- Media Studio
Support
- Help center
Change history
- Price.xAI announces The X Subscription, bundling X Premium, Grok and Cursor in five tiers from free to $200/month.
- Update.A new version of the privacy policy takes effect.
- Company.xAI acquires X Corp. (March 2025).
Full change history (7)
- Company.Twitter is rebranded X and the bird logo retired (July 2023).
- Company.Elon Musk buys Twitter for $44 billion (October 2022).
- Limits.Post length limit raised from 140 to 280 characters (2017).
- Launch.Twitter launches publicly (July 2006), having been founded in March 2006.
About the author
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