Kimi
AI Assistants & LLMs
Moonshot AI's assistant with a strong agent for slides, documents, sheets and websites.
AI Assistants & LLMs
Z.ai
Free chat with Zhipu's open GLM models, plus a cheap coding plan for Claude Code users.
3.5our ratingNo community reviews yet. Add yours
FreemiumFrom $18/mo or $12.60/mo
Quick take
- Free chat on the web with Zhipu's GLM models, including an Agent mode that makes slides, documents, data reports and full websites.
- The GLM Coding Plan (Lite $18, Pro $80, Max $168 a month) is why most people come, and also the biggest complaint: on Reddit, coders say the quota drains fast and GLM runs slower here than through other providers.
- Demand has outrun capacity. Users report slowdowns, rate limits and peak-hour throttling, and prices rose 30% in February 2026.
- Run from Singapore for international users, but Zhipu is on the US trade blacklist and its hosted service filters China-sensitive topics.
What is Z.ai?
Z.ai is the international brand of Zhipu AI, a Beijing AI company listed in Hong Kong since January 2026. The free chat site runs its GLM models and does the usual chat and web search, plus an Agent mode that writes documents, builds slide decks, analyses data and builds full websites. The latest model, GLM-5.3, came out in August 2026, and most GLM models are released openly.
Most people find Z.ai through the GLM Coding Plan. It's a monthly subscription that lets developers plug GLM into Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and similar tools for a fraction of what the top Claude plans cost. For everyday business chat, Qwen Chat and Kimi have more polished apps; Z.ai is the pick if you mainly want cheap coding or an open model.
The catch is reliability. Zhipu has struggled to keep up with demand, raised prices in February 2026, apologised publicly for slow rollouts and rate limits, and changed how coding usage is counted in July. Zhipu is also on the US trade blacklist, and its hosted service filters politically sensitive questions.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Developers
- Indie hackers
- Students
- Open-model fans
Developers who want a cheaper engine for Claude Code and similar tools, and anyone who wants free access to a top open model.
Key features
Free chat
Chat, web search and file reading with the latest GLM model, no subscription needed.
Agent mode
Breaks a job into steps and hands back documents, slide decks, data insights or a working website.
GLM Coding Plan
A monthly plan that powers Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and 20+ other coding tools with GLM models.
Open models
Most GLM models are free to download under an MIT licence, so you can host them yourself.
Vision coding
GLM-5V-Turbo turns screenshots and design drafts into working code.
How we rate it
3.5overall, out of 5
Our rating, from using the tool ourselves. Each score is out of 5.
- Ease of use
- 3.5
- Features
- 3.5
- Output quality
- 4.0
- Value for money
- 3.5
- Speed & reliability
- 3.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Community rating
No community reviews yet. Be the first to leave one.
Z.ai pricing
Chat
Free
Anyone who wants to try GLM or use Agent mode.
- Chat and web search
- Agent mode for slides, docs and websites
- No published hard limit
- Our pick
Coding Plan Lite
$18/mo or $12.60/mo billed yearly
Developers trying GLM inside their coding tool.
- 2,000 credits per 5 hours, 10,000 a week
- GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash
- Works in Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and more
Coding Plan Pro
$80/mo or $56/mo billed yearly
Daily agentic coding.
- 6x the Lite allowance
- 12,000 credits per 5 hours, 60,000 a week
Coding Plan Max
$168/mo or $117.60/mo billed yearly
Developers running agents for hours every day.
- 14x the Lite allowance
- 28,000 credits per 5 hours, 140,000 a week
Which plan should you pick?
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.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 21 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Z.ai can slot into your week.
- 1
Cheaper Claude Code
Point Claude Code or OpenCode at GLM to run routine coding jobs without burning your Claude usage.
- 2
Website from a brief
Use Agent mode to build a full working site you can preview and download.
- 3
Slides from notes
Turn a brief into a slide deck in Agent mode, then polish it in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- 4
Self-host an open model
Have a developer run GLM on your own servers where client data rules rule out overseas services.
How it fits your tech stack
For developers it slots in behind the coding tools they already use, as a cheaper engine. The chat app doesn't connect to business apps, so for non-developers it's a free second assistant.
Connects to
- Claude Code
- Codex
- OpenCode
- Cline
- OpenClaw
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free chat with a top open model and a capable Agent mode
- Coding Plan plugs GLM into Claude Code, Codex and similar tools for less than top Claude plans
- Open models under an MIT licence for most versions
- GLM is strong at coding and long agent tasks
Cons
- Slowdowns, rate limits and throttling at busy times, with a public apology from Zhipu in 2026
- Prices and usage rules keep changing, including a 30% rise and a switch to credits
- Zhipu is on the US trade blacklist and its hosted service filters sensitive topics
- No international mobile app and a plainer chat experience than Qwen or Kimi
- Users report locked accounts, slow support and dashboard token counts far higher than their tools show
Z.ai alternatives
The closest alternatives to Z.ai in the library, best rated first.
- Claude4.6/5· best for long-form writing and editingZ.ai vs Claude
- ChatGPT4.3/5· best for everyday questions and brainstormingZ.ai vs ChatGPT
- Google Gemini4.2/5· best for searching and summarising your GmailZ.ai vs Google Gemini
- Perplexity4.2/5· best for fact-checking and quick researchZ.ai vs Perplexity
Popular comparisons
Why it made the list
GLM is one of the strongest open model families, and its coding plan is one of the cheapest ways to run agentic coding tools.
Not sure Z.ai is the one?
Put it next to a similar tool and see the differences side by side.
Z.ai FAQ
How much does Z.ai cost?
There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo or $12.60/mo. Prices checked 21 October 2026 against Z.ai's pricing page.
Is Z.ai free?
Yes, Z.ai has a free option. 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.
What is Z.ai best for?
Z.ai is best for cheaper agentic coding in Claude Code or OpenCode, free chat with a top open model and quick slides and websites from Agent mode. Developers who want a cheaper engine for Claude Code and similar tools, and anyone who wants free access to a top open model.
What are the best Z.ai alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity. Claude is best for long-form writing and editing.
Community reviews
Nobody has reviewed Z.ai here yet. If you use it, your take helps everyone else choose.
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