Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Z.ai
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
Pick it if: Anyone who writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.
Pick it if: Developers who want a cheaper engine for Claude Code and similar tools, and anyone who wants free access to a top open model.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app. | Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents. | Free chat with Zhipu's open GLM models, plus a cheap coding plan for Claude Code users. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $20/mo | $18/mo or $12.60/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.6Winner | 3.5 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 15/ 17 | 14/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and everyday questions. | Free Free Trying it out and light daily use. | Chat Free Anyone who wants to try GLM or use Agent mode. |
Go $8/mo Casual users who hit the free limits. | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who uses it most days. | Coding Plan LiteOur pick $18/mo or $12.60/mo billed yearly Developers trying GLM inside their coding tool. | |
PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone using it most days for work. | Max From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Claude Code. | Coding Plan Pro $80/mo or $56/mo billed yearly Daily agentic coding. | |
Pro From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Codex. | Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people. | Coding Plan Max $168/mo or $117.60/mo billed yearly Developers running agents for hours every day. | |
Business See website Teams from 2 people up. | |||
| Which plan to pick | The free plan is now good enough to use properly, so stay on it until the image, voice or research limits annoy you. Plus is the sensible upgrade. Only look at Pro if you run Codex or deep research all day, and read the current tier details first: Pro 200 now comes with a smaller allowance than it did before 29 September. | Start on Free to see if the writing suits you. Most people who stick with it move to Pro within a month; only go to Max if you hit the Pro limits every day or you're running Claude Code for hours at a time. | For chat, it's free. Developers should start with Coding Plan Lite and code off-peak, because usage between 2pm and 6pm Singapore time on weekdays costs more credits. Move to Pro only if you hit the weekly cap. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Claude | Z.ai |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT, Claude or Z.ai?
Claude scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Claude 4.6/5 and Z.ai 3.5/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Claude is best for long-form writing and editing and reading and summarising long documents. Z.ai is best for cheaper agentic coding in Claude Code or OpenCode and free chat with a top open model.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Claude or Z.ai?
ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Claude: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Z.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo or $12.60/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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