Z.ai (GLM) pricing, plans and how to pay
Zhipu AI's international brand: a free GLM chat app, open-weight GLM models, a pay-as-you-go API and a GLM Coding Plan subscription for coding tools.
In short
As of Oct 29, 2026, Z.ai (GLM) has a free plan and paid plans start at $18/month (GLM Coding Plan Lite: 2,000 credits per 5 hours and 10,000 per week; GLM-5.3 in Claude Code and 20+ coding tools). Payment: Chat is free. API balance is topped up by card, and the Coding Plan is charged to a linked bank card or PayPal, after any credit or cash balance.
Plans and limits
| Plan | Price / month | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | $0 | Free web chat at chat.z.ai; we found no paid chat subscription |
| GLM Coding Plan Lite | $18$12.60/mo billed yearly | 2,000 credits per 5 hours and 10,000 per week; GLM-5.3 in Claude Code and 20+ coding tools |
| GLM Coding Plan Pro | $80$56/mo billed yearly | 12,000 credits per 5 hours and 60,000 per week; faster generation; priority access to new models |
| GLM Coding Plan Max | $168$117.60/mo billed yearly | 28,000 credits per 5 hours and 140,000 per week; first access to new models; dedicated resources at peak times |
| API · GLM-5.3 | Usage-based | $1.40 input / $4.40 output per 1M tokens ($0.26 cached input); 1M context; GLM-4.7-Flash and GLM-4.5-Flash are free |
USD before tax, billed monthly unless noted. Regional and in-app prices may differ. Verified Oct 29, 2026.
Good fit for
- Developers who want a flat-rate plan for Claude Code and other coding agents
- Long-context coding work with a 1M-token model
- Teams that may self-host open weights later
Watch out for
- Coding Plan credits only work inside supported coding tools, not for your own apps or general API calls
- Coding Plan usage costs twice as many credits at peak (Mon–Fri 14:00–18:00, UTC+8), and subscriptions are non-refundable
- Card top-ups with 3D Secure verification are not supported
- GLM-5.3 weights ship under their own GLM-5.3 license rather than MIT
Signing up and paying
- Sign-up
- Email or phone number, or a Google, GitHub or Apple account.
- Payment
- Chat is free. API balance is topped up by card, and the Coding Plan is charged to a linked bank card or PayPal, after any credit or cash balance.
- Can I use Z.ai outside China?
- Yes. Z.ai is Zhipu's international service: chat.z.ai accepts sign-up with email, Google, GitHub or Apple, and API and Coding Plan prices are in US dollars, payable by bank card or PayPal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Z.ai (GLM) free?
Yes, there is a free plan (Chat): Free web chat at chat.z.ai; we found no paid chat subscription.
How much does Z.ai (GLM) cost per month?
Paid plans: GLM Coding Plan Lite ($18/month, $12.60/month billed yearly); GLM Coding Plan Pro ($80/month, $56/month billed yearly); GLM Coding Plan Max ($168/month, $117.60/month billed yearly). Usage-based: API · GLM-5.3: $1.40 input / $4.40 output per 1M tokens ($0.26 cached input); 1M context; GLM-4.7-Flash and GLM-4.5-Flash are free. Prices are in US dollars before tax.
How do I sign up for Z.ai (GLM)?
Email or phone number, or a Google, GitHub or Apple account.
How can I pay for Z.ai (GLM)?
Chat is free. API balance is topped up by card, and the Coding Plan is charged to a linked bank card or PayPal, after any credit or cash balance.
Can I use Z.ai outside China?
Yes. Z.ai is Zhipu's international service: chat.z.ai accepts sign-up with email, Google, GitHub or Apple, and API and Coding Plan prices are in US dollars, payable by bank card or PayPal.
What are the alternatives to Z.ai (GLM)?
Similar tools we track: DeepSeek (free plan available), Kimi (from $19/month), Qwen (free plan available).
Change history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Oct 29, 2026 | Verified Prices, plan limits, sign-up and payment options confirmed on the official site. |