Z.ai

★★★★☆4.1 / 5 editorial Freemium The web chat at chat.z.ai is free with no subscription required. Paid GLM Coding Plans for developers start at $18/mo — check the official site for current pricing.

Zhipu AI's free GLM chat, with an API and coding plans for developers

✓ Editor-verified listing — details reviewed by Grab AI Tool editors; pricing re-checked regularly.

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What is Z.ai?

Z.ai is the international face of Zhipu AI, the Chinese lab behind the GLM model family, and its chat site is where most people try those models. The free browser chat answers questions, writes, codes and reasons with web search built in, and the underlying GLM models are also published openly, which has made them popular with developers worldwide.

For developers, Z.ai adds an API and a GLM Coding Plan that plugs GLM models into popular coding tools at aggressive prices. The chat itself needs no subscription, which is rare for a frontier lab. The trade-offs are practical: requests are processed on Chinese infrastructure, which compliance-sensitive teams must consider, and English documentation occasionally lags the Chinese originals.

Key Features

  • Free chat powered by the latest GLM models
  • Web search built into answers
  • Agent and deep-research style modes
  • Developer API with OpenAI-compatible endpoints
  • GLM Coding Plan for popular coding tools

Pros

  • Frontier-lab chat with no subscription wall
  • Openly published GLM model weights
  • Coding plans undercut Western rivals on price

Cons

  • Requests are processed on Chinese infrastructure
  • English documentation sometimes lags behind
  • Newest flagship API pricing can be unclear at launch

Pricing

  • Model: Freemium
  • The web chat at chat.z.ai is free with no subscription required. Paid GLM Coding Plans for developers start at $18/mo — check the official site for current pricing.

Adding Up Your AI Bill?

If you pay for Z.ai alongside other AI subscriptions, the monthly total adds up quietly. Tick every tool you pay for in our free AI Tool Cost Calculator to see your real monthly and yearly bill — and spot overlaps you can cut. Still choosing? Start with our guide on how to choose the right AI tool.

How We Rated It

Scores reflect our editors’ independent assessment at the time of review.

Ease of Use
4.5
Feature Depth
4.5
Value for Money
3.5
Output Quality
3.5

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