---
title: "Z.ai (GLM) Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "Z.ai (GLM) review: LLM Provider tool — Pricing, plans, pros & cons, and the best Z.ai (GLM) alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/zai-glm
retrieved: 2026-09-02
---

![Z.ai (GLM) logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=z.ai&sz=128)

[LLM Provider](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/llm-provider)

# 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

[Visit Z.ai (GLM) official site](https://z.ai/)

## Z.ai (GLM) Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan                 | Price                                  | Highlights                                                                   |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pay As You GoPopular | Usage-based (\~$0.60 / $2.00 per Mtok) | GLM-5.1 frontier model · Top-tier coding performance · OpenAI-compatible API |

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

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/zai-glm)

[![Google Gemini API logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/gemini.svg)Google Gemini APIFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-gemini-api)[![Mistral AI API logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/mistral.svg)Mistral AI APIFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/mistral-api)[![Grok API (xAI) logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/grok.svg)Grok API (xAI)Free](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/grok-api)[![Groq logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=groq.com&sz=128)GroqFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/groq)[![OpenRouter logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=openrouter.ai&sz=128)OpenRouterFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/openrouter)[![Cerebras logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cerebras.ai&sz=128)CerebrasFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cerebras)

## Z.ai (GLM) Compared

[Z.ai (GLM) vs Anthropic Claude API](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/anthropic-claude-vs-zai-glm)[Z.ai (GLM) vs OpenAI API](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/openai-api-vs-zai-glm)[Z.ai (GLM) vs Google Gemini API](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/google-gemini-api-vs-zai-glm)[Z.ai (GLM) vs Mistral AI API](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/mistral-api-vs-zai-glm)[Z.ai (GLM) vs Grok API (xAI)](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/grok-api-vs-zai-glm)[Z.ai (GLM) vs Groq](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/groq-vs-zai-glm)

## 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.

## Not sure if Z.ai (GLM) fits your stack?

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