Z.ai (GLM): Pricing, Features & Alternatives
Z.ai is the API platform for Zhipu AI's GLM models. GLM-5.1 is a frontier-class model that beat Claude Opus 4.6 on a key coding benchmark earlier in 2026, at roughly $0.60/$2.00 per million tokens — a fraction of Western frontier pricing. Popular for agentic coding via dedicated coding plans.
Category
LLM Provider
Pricing
Pay-as-you-go
Free tier
No
Best for
LLM Provider — ai, api
Z.ai (GLM) Pricing Plans (2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Pay As You GoPopular | Usage-based (~$0.60 / $2.00 per Mtok) |
Pricing summary: Usage-based. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.
Key Z.ai (GLM) Features
- GLM-5.1 frontier model
- Top-tier coding performance
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Coding subscription plans available
Pros
- +Frontier coding quality
- +Very competitive pricing
- +Strong agentic/coding use
- +Coding plan options
Cons
- −Data governance considerations
- −Newer to Western developers
Best Z.ai (GLM) Alternatives
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Z.ai (GLM) Compared
Z.ai (GLM) FAQ
What is Z.ai (GLM) used for?⌄
Z.ai (GLM) is a llm provider tool. Zhipu's GLM models via Z.ai — frontier-class coding performance that has beaten Claude Opus on key benchmarks.
Is Z.ai (GLM) free?⌄
Z.ai (GLM) does not offer a permanent free tier.
How much does Z.ai (GLM) cost?⌄
Z.ai (GLM) uses usage-based (pay-as-you-go) pricing — see the official pricing page for current rates.
What are the best Z.ai (GLM) alternatives?⌄
Popular Z.ai (GLM) alternatives include Google Gemini API, Mistral AI API, Grok API (xAI), Groq, OpenRouter. Compare pricing and features on our Z.ai (GLM) alternatives page.
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