Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
Claude vs Google Gemini 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 writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.
Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.
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 | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents. | Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android phones. | Free chat with Zhipu's open GLM models, plus a cheap coding plan for Claude Code users. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | US$4.99/mo | $18/mo or $12.60/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.6Winner | 4.2 | 3.5 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | 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 | No | 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 | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 14/ 17 | 16/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and light daily use. | Free Free Light use and seeing how it feels. | Chat Free Anyone who wants to try GLM or use Agent mode. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who uses it most days. | Google AI Plus US$4.99/mo Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage. | Coding Plan LiteOur pick $18/mo or $12.60/mo billed yearly Developers trying GLM inside their coding tool. | |
Max From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Claude Code. | Google AI ProOur pick US$19.99/mo Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day. | Coding Plan Pro $80/mo or $56/mo billed yearly Daily agentic coding. | |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people. | Google AI Ultra From US$99.99/mo Heavy creative and agent users. | Coding Plan Max $168/mo or $117.60/mo billed yearly Developers running agents for hours every day. | |
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Skip the free plan for anything serious now that it's Flash-Lite only. AI Pro (US$19.99, or A$32.99 in Australia) is the one to buy: it's the cheapest way to get Gemini 4 Argon plus Gemini in Docs and Gmail, and the 5 TB of storage offsets a Google One bill. Ultra is for people generating video all day. | 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
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude | Google Gemini | Z.ai |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude, Google Gemini or Z.ai?
Claude scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude 4.6/5, Google Gemini 4.2/5 and Z.ai 3.5/5). Claude is best for long-form writing and editing and reading and summarising long documents. Google Gemini is best for searching and summarising your Gmail and drafting in Google Docs. Z.ai is best for cheaper agentic coding in Claude Code or OpenCode and free chat with a top open model.
Which is cheaper, Claude, Google Gemini or Z.ai?
Claude: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at US$4.99/mo. Z.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo or $12.60/mo.
Which is easier to use, Claude, Google Gemini or Z.ai?
Claude rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.
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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