Overview
Z.ai is a free AI chatbot and agent platform built on Zhipu AI's open-source GLM model family. It offers free basic conversations with advanced capabilities available through paid subscription plans.
The platform serves developers, researchers, and everyday users who need an AI assistant for coding, writing, research, and document generation. Z.ai stands out by combining frontier-level model performance with full bilingual support for English and Chinese, making it one of the most accessible alternatives to ChatGPT for global users.
Zhipu AI backs Z.ai with significant resources, including public-market funding following its Hong Kong listing in January 2026, and a commitment to open-weight development under the MIT License.
Key Features
GLM-5 flagship model — Uses a 744B-parameter mixture-of-experts architecture with 40B active parameters per token, positioning it as a leading open-weight model for coding and agentic tasks.
Agent mode — Converts natural language prompts into multi-step workflows, generating production-ready .docx, .pdf, and .xlsx documents directly from text instructions.
AI coding assistant — Scores 77.8% on SWE-bench Verified and supports native integration with Claude Code, Cline, and Roo Code through the GLM Coding Plan, enabling agentic coding workflows in popular IDEs.
Lower hallucination tendency — Performed strongly on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v4.0 for knowledge reliability, with design emphasis on knowing when to abstain rather than fabricate information.
Bilingual support — Provides fully localized experiences for both English and Chinese users, with context-aware language switching based on user preferences.
Open-weight GLM ecosystem — Major GLM models including GLM-5 are released under the MIT License, giving developers access to weights, fine-tuning capabilities, and self-hosting options via Hugging Face and NVIDIA NIM.
How It Compares
Z.ai competes directly with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini as a general-purpose AI assistant. Here is how it stacks up:
| Feature | Z.ai (GLM-5) | ChatGPT (GPT-5.4) | Claude (Opus 4.6) | Gemini (3.1 Pro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Unlimited basic chat | Limited free tier | Limited free tier | Limited free tier |
| Coding plan | From $3/mo | $20/mo (Plus) | $20/mo (Pro) | $20/mo (Advanced) |
| Open-source weights | Yes (MIT) | No | No | No |
| Bilingual EN/CN | Native | Plugin-based | Translation | Native |
| SWE-bench | 77.8% | ~72% | ~70% | ~68% |
| Agent mode | Built-in | Built-in | Via Claude Code | Via extensions |
Z.ai's strongest differentiator is its price-to-performance ratio. The GLM Coding Plan offers access to GLM-5.1 at a fraction of the cost of competing frontier models, with Z.ai reporting strong coding benchmark results relative to leading closed-source alternatives.
Pricing & Plans
Z.ai uses a freemium model with a generous free tier and affordable paid plans.
Free Tier
- Unlimited basic conversations with GLM-4.7-Flash
- Access to standard chat, writing, and translation features
- No credit card required
GLM Coding Lite — $3/month
- Access to GLM-5 and GLM-5.1 for coding tasks
- 120 prompts per 5-hour cycle
- Native IDE integration (Claude Code, Cline, Roo Code)
GLM Coding Pro — $15/month
- Higher rate limits and priority access
- Advanced agent workflows
- Full model access including GLM-5.1
API Pricing (Pay-as-you-go)
- GLM-4.7-Flash: Free
- GLM-4.7-FlashX: $0.07 / 1M input tokens, $0.40 / 1M output tokens
- GLM-5: $1.00 / 1M input tokens, $3.20 / 1M output tokens
- Web Search: $0.01 per use
- Image Generation: From $0.01 per image
Best For
- Developers seeking a cost-effective AI coding assistant with IDE integration at $3/month
- Teams needing bilingual English-Chinese AI support for cross-border collaboration
- Open-source advocates who want full model access with MIT-licensed weights for AI chatbots
- Researchers and students looking for a free, capable AI chatbot for daily use
- Startups building AI-powered products who need affordable API access with competitive performance
FAQ
Is Z.ai free to use?
Yes. Z.ai offers unlimited basic conversations at no cost using the GLM-4.7-Flash model. Advanced features like coding assistance with GLM-5 require a paid plan starting at $3 per month.
How does Z.ai compare to ChatGPT?
Z.ai offers competitive performance at a significantly lower price point. The GLM Coding Plan provides access to competitive coding models at a fraction of the cost of Claude Opus 4.6 or ChatGPT Plus subscriptions.
What models does Z.ai support?
Z.ai runs the GLM model family including GLM-4.7-Flash (free), GLM-5 ($1/MTok), GLM-5.1 (latest), and specialized models for vision (GLM-5V-Turbo), image generation (CogView-4), and video generation.
Can I use Z.ai for coding?
Yes. Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan integrates natively with popular coding tools including Claude Code, Cline, and Roo Code. Z.ai reports that GLM-5.1 scores 45.3 on the Claude Code coding benchmark, reaching 94.6% of Claude Opus 4.6's performance.
Is Z.ai open source?
Yes. All GLM models are released under the MIT License. You can access model weights on Hugging Face and deploy them through NVIDIA NIM for self-hosted inference.
Does Z.ai support languages other than English?
Z.ai provides native bilingual support for English and Chinese, with automatic language detection based on browser preferences. The models perform strongly in both languages without requiring translation plugins.
What is the API pricing for Z.ai?
API pricing varies by model. At the time of writing, official docs list GLM-4.7-Flash as free and GLM-5 at $1.00 per 1M input tokens and $3.20 per 1M output tokens, making it significantly cheaper than comparable closed-source frontier models.
Is my data secure on Z.ai?
For users requiring additional data control, several GLM models can be self-hosted on private infrastructure, providing full data sovereignty. Check Z.ai's official documentation for current security and compliance details.
