Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
ChatGPT vs Qwen Chat 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 after a capable free assistant with image, video, slides and website tools, and developers who want open models.
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.
ChatGPT scores highest overall, but Qwen Chat gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app. | Alibaba's generous free assistant for research, slides, websites, images and video. | 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 | $4/mo | $18/mo or $12.60/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 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 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | No | No |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 15/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and everyday questions. | FreeOur pick Free Most people. The free limits are generous for chat and research. | Chat Free Anyone who wants to try GLM or use Agent mode. |
Go $8/mo Casual users who hit the free limits. | Go $4/mo Regular users who want higher chat limits. | 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. | Plus $19/mo Creators making images and video most days. | Coding Plan Pro $80/mo or $56/mo billed yearly Daily agentic coding. | |
Pro From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Codex. | Pro $99/mo Heavy video and image users who need priority. | 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 free; most people never need to pay. Go at $4 is cheap if you hit the chat limits. Prices are App Store prices, so check the in-app screen before you subscribe. | 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 | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Qwen Chat | Z.ai |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT, Qwen Chat or Z.ai?
ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Qwen Chat 4.0/5 and Z.ai 3.5/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Qwen Chat is best for A free assistant that does a bit of everything and quick webpages and slide decks from a prompt. 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, Qwen Chat or Z.ai?
ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Qwen Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4/mo. Z.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo or $12.60/mo.
Which is easier to use, ChatGPT, Qwen Chat or Z.ai?
ChatGPT rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
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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