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Review basis

Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.

14 reference sources

Information updated Nov 11, 2026

How we review
Z.ai (GLM) logo

Z.ai (GLM) Review

Chat and coding plans built on open-weights GLM models, priced below many rivals

Editorial Team6.7/10Write the first review

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

  • Web
  • API
Freemium · $18.00/mo
Visit Z.ai (GLM)
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Decide at a glance

Our verdict

Suits developers who want an open-weights coding model inside Claude Code, Cline or OpenCode, from $18 per month. The trade-offs are no refunds once a plan is bought, reports of peak-hour blocks, and a privacy policy that does not say clearly whether chat content is used for model training.

Best for: Developers who want a flat monthly price for coding agent tools

Skip it if: Anyone who needs a clear commitment that personal data stays out of model training

Pros

  • GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.2 weights are on Hugging Face; GLM-5.2 is MIT-licensed, GLM-5.3 uses its own licence
  • Coding Plan from $18 per month, compatible with 20+ agent tools such as Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode
  • 1M-token context window from GLM-5.2 onward

Cons

  • Trustpilot shows 2.0 out of 5 from 43 reviews, with reports of peak-hour blocks for paying users and chat history lost after an update
  • No refunds once a plan is bought, even if unused
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

Pros

  • Low API prices: GLM-5.3 at $1.40 input and $4.40 output per 1M tokens, GLM-5.3-Flash at $0.15 and $0.50

Cons

  • Coding Plan allowances use credits charged at different peak and off-peak rates, which makes usage hard to predict
  • Per Wikipedia, the US Commerce Department added the company to its Entity List in January 2025, and a compute shortage in late February 2026 led Z.ai to restrict new sign-ups

Best for

  • Teams that want open-weights models to self-host, or a low-priced API
  • People who want a free chatbot with agent modes for documents, slides and websites

Skip it if

  • Those who need an official mobile app: the pages read show only web, API and the ZCode desktop app

Problems it solves

Experience & key features

Z.ai is the international brand of Zhipu AI, a Chinese AI company spun out of Tsinghua University in 2019. According to Wikipedia, it took the Z.ai name internationally in July 2025 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 8 January 2026. Its main product is the GLM model family, offered through the chat site chat.z.ai, an API and a Coding Plan.

The latest model is GLM-5.3, released on 14 August 2026. It shares GLM-5.2's base model, with all gains coming from post-training. GLM-5.3 weights are on Hugging Face under the model's own licence, while GLM-5.2 is MIT-licensed with a 1M-token context. The chat site offers agent modes such as Full-Stack, Writing, Data Insight, PPT and Web Site, and the GLM-5 blog says the agent can produce .docx, .pdf and .xlsx files.

The Coding Plan has three tiers: Lite at $18, Pro at $80 and Max at $168 per month, or $12.60, $56 and $117.60 per month billed yearly. Since 30 July 2026, allowances are counted in credits per 5-hour window and per week. Off-peak usage is charged at half rate; peak hours are 14:00–18:00, Monday to Friday, Singapore time (UTC+8). Plans renew automatically, must be cancelled at least 3 days before billing, and are non-refundable.

Compared with ChatGPT or Claude, Z.ai leans toward coding and agents rather than a broad consumer assistant, and no official mobile app appeared on the pages read. Privacy-conscious users should read the policy closely, since it does not say clearly whether chat content is used for training. For everyday chat, DeepSeek, Qwen and Kimi are other open-weights options from China.

Screenshots

Illustration from the official GLM-5.3 announcement blog post
Illustration from the official GLM-5.3 announcement blog post
Second image from the official GLM-5.3 announcement blog post
Second image from the official GLM-5.3 announcement blog post
Illustration from the official GLM-5.2 announcement blog post
Illustration from the official GLM-5.2 announcement blog post

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Chat (Free)

Personal

Free

chat.z.ai opens with a guest session and defaults to GLM-5.3-Flash. The official pages do not publish message limits for the free chat.

Coding Plan Lite

Personal

$18/mo

$12.60/mo billed yearly

2,000 credits per 5 hours and 10,000 per week. Includes GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash and works with 20+ agent tools. Quarterly billing is 20% off, yearly 30% off.

Coding Plan Pro

Personal

$80/mo

$56/mo billed yearly

12,000 credits per 5 hours and 60,000 per week (6x Lite). Adds a curated set of MCP tools, faster generation and priority access to new models.

Coding Plan Max

Personal

$168/mo

$117.60/mo billed yearly

28,000 credits per 5 hours and 140,000 per week (14x Lite). First access to new models and dedicated resources at peak times.

Free plan limits
The chat on chat.z.ai is free and works without an account. The API is billed per token: GLM-5.3 costs $1.40 input and $4.40 output per 1M tokens, GLM-5.3-Flash $0.15 and $0.50. The API pricing page still lists three older models as free: GLM-4.7-Flash, GLM-4.5-Flash and GLM-4.6V-Flash.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

The Coding Plan Usage Policy states that purchased plans are non-refundable, even if unused. Plans renew automatically; cancel at least 3 days before the next billing date to stop renewal.

Privacy

The privacy policy (updated 29 September 2025) names JINGSHENG HENGXING TECHNOLOGY PTE.LTD in Singapore as the data controller. It collects account information, content you enter, logs and device data. It lists training and improving models as a legitimate-interest use of data such as account, log and usage information, without saying clearly whether chat content is included. There is no dedicated training opt-out, only the general right to object to legitimate-interest processing. Data is generally processed in Singapore and kept while the account exists; conversations a user deletes are also removed from the back end. The Data Processing Addendum for API customers says Z.ai does not store content that customers provide or generate through the API. The Team plan section says team data is never used for model training. Users under 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission.

Official pricing page

Z.ai (GLM) alternatives

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Frequently asked questions

Is Z.ai free?

The chat on chat.z.ai is free without signing in and defaults to GLM-5.3-Flash. The Coding Plan is paid, from $18 per month. The API is billed per token, except three older models (GLM-4.7-Flash, GLM-4.5-Flash and GLM-4.6V-Flash) that remain free.

Are Z.ai and Zhipu AI the same company?

Yes. Per Wikipedia, Zhipu AI rebranded internationally as Z.ai in July 2025, and the company is listed in Hong Kong as Z.AI Co., Ltd.

Can GLM be used with Claude Code?

Yes. The Coding Plan page and official docs list Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, Cursor and others, more than 20 tools in total.

Is my data used to train models?

The privacy policy allows account, log and usage information to be used to improve the services, including training models, but does not address chat content clearly. For the API, the DPA says Z.ai does not store customer content. The Team plan commits to never using team data for training.

Can I get a refund on the Coding Plan?

No. The Usage Policy says purchased plans are non-refundable, even if unused. To stop renewal, cancel on the Subscription page at least 3 days before the billing date.

Review evidence & sources14

Scores

Ease of use
7.2
Why this score

The chat opens as a guest with no setup. The Coding Plan needs tool configuration and an understanding of how credits are charged, so it is harder than a typical chatbot. Only an English interface was seen.

Features
7.8
Why this score

The chat has agent modes for slides, websites and data analysis; the API adds vision, image and video models; ZCode covers coding. The blog calls GLM-5.3 the strongest open-weights coding model, but these are the vendor's own figures, and its own table shows Kimi K3 ahead on several tests and Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol ahead on most coding benchmarks.

Value for money
7.9
Why this score

Lite is $18 per month ($12.60 per month billed yearly) and API prices are low. Pro and Max cost considerably more ($80 and $168 per month). Three older Flash models remain free on the API. Against that, plans are non-refundable.

Performance
7.0
Why this score

Vendor benchmarks are strong, but no independent evaluation among the sources read confirms them. Trustpilot reviewers report peak-hour blocks, timeouts and empty responses, and Wikipedia records a compute shortage in early 2026.

Support
5.0
Why this score

There are docs, a Discord link and a feedback email. Many Trustpilot reviewers say support emails went unanswered for weeks, and the profile notes the company has never invited reviews. No live chat or phone channel was seen on the pages read.

Privacy & security
5.5
Why this score

The policy lists model training as a legitimate interest without saying clearly whether chat content is used, and no dedicated opt-out was seen. Data is mainly processed in Singapore. On the plus side, the DPA says API content is not stored and the Team plan commits to no training use.

What users say

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Zhipu AI (Z.ai)
Headquarters
China
Launched
2025
Category
AI

Capabilities

  • AI features
  • Public API
  • Open source
  • Integrations
  • Templates

Platforms

  • Web
  • API

Interface languages

  • English

Integrations

  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • OpenCode
  • Cline
  • Cursor
  • OpenClaw
  • ZCode
  • Kilo Code

Support

  • Email
  • Help center
  • Community forum

Change history

  1. Feature.GLM-5.3 launches on the GLM-5.2 base, with all gains from post-training.
  2. Price.The Coding Plan moves to credit-based allowances; legacy plans are no longer sold to new subscribers.
  3. Feature.GLM-5.2 launches with a 1M-token context and an MIT licence.
Full change history (8)
  1. Price.GLM-5.1 weights are released; the same day Z.ai raises API prices by 10%, per Wikipedia.
  2. Feature.GLM-5 launches (744B parameters, 40B active) with weights under the MIT licence.
  3. Company.Z.ai lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
  4. Company.The company releases GLM-4.5 and rebrands internationally as Z.ai.
  5. Company.Zhipu AI is founded in Beijing as a Tsinghua University spin-out.
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