Z.ai (Zhipu AI) · Language model
GLM (Z.ai)
Chinese AI lab (Zhipu, international Z.ai) with the open-weight GLM family under MIT licence, particularly strong at programming and agent tasks at low prices.
1483#7 of 12 in the index
Elo, independently measuredQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of around 20 points is noticeable; a few points is noise. How we measure
Elo, independently measuredQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of around 20 points is noticeable; a few points is noise. How we measure
+3 Eloin 30 days
- Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
- 7,7
- GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
- GDPR: Caution
- Entry price
- Freepaid from $18 / month
- Context
- 1M tokens
- Usage on OpenRouter
- 6.52% of tokens
Quality over time
209 daily measurementsThe line follows the strongest variant of the family; the figure at the top is the measured flagship.
1490147814671455
19 March 20269 November 2026
Bron: LMArena · opgehaald 9 november 2026
Your data
GDPR: Caution–Hosting in the EU possible
–No training on your data (business)
✓Self-hostable (open weights)
The international service Z.ai runs through JINGSHENG HENGXING TECHNOLOGY PTE. LTD. (Singapore); personal data is in principle processed in Singapore. According to the data processing agreement, API content is processed in real time and not stored. GLM-5.2 is open-weight under MIT and can therefore be fully self-hosted or hosted through an EU provider.
GDPR check by professionThe models of Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
GLM (Z.ai) is a family. Choose the heaviest for difficult tasks, the fastest for volume.
| Model | Type | Elo | Price in | Price out | Context | Buzz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-5.2 | Flagship | 1475 | $0.01 | $6.8 | 1.048.576 | 198 |
| GLM-5.3 Flash | Fast & cheap | 1475 | $0.03 | $0.08 | 1.048.576 | 442 |
| GLM-5.1 | Balanced | 1465 | $1.4 | $4.4 | 204.800 | 8 |
| GLM-5.3 | Newest flagship | – | $0.07 | $1.4 | 1.048.576 | 1.079 |
| GLM-5.3 Prime | Fast variant | – | $2.8 | $8.8 | 1.000.000 | – |
| GLM-5 Turbo | Fast & cheap | – | $1.2 | $4 | 202.752 | 2 |
| GLM-5.3 FlashX | Fast & cheap | – | $0.37 | $1.25 | 1.048.576 | 2 |
| GLM-5.3 FlashX Legal | Legal domain model | – | $0.37 | $1.25 | 1.048.576 | – |
Bron: LMArena, OpenRouter, Hacker News · opgehaald 9 november 2026
Subscriptions
Z.ai ChatFreeFree chatbot at chat.z.ai with GLM-5.x
GLM Coding Plan Lite$18 / monthIntroductory promo $12.60/month; Pro $72 and Max $160 per month
API, GLM-5.3$1.40 / $4.40 per 1MSame price as GLM-5.2 (calls are forwarded to 5.3); GLM-5.3-Flash $0.15 / $0.50; GLM-5 $1.00 / $3.20; GLM-4.7-Flash free
Where it excels
- 1Top performance on coding and agent benchmarks at a fraction of the price
- 2GLM-5.2 is fully open-weight under MIT licence
- 31 million tokens of context on the flagship
- 4Affordable Coding Plan subscriptions for tools such as Claude Code
GLM (Z.ai) per profession
4 professions where we recommend it, listed first.
MarketingE-commerceCustomer serviceIndustry & manufacturingLegal professionAccountancyHealthcareRecruitmentEducationReal estateLogisticsHospitalityConstruction & installationHR & personnelSales & prospectingGovernment & municipalitiesFinancial adviceVeterinary practices & animal carePhysiotherapyDentistryCommunications & mediaArchitecture & urban planningAutomotive sectorChildcareInsurance sectorSport & fitnessInstallation technologyAgricultural sectorTourism & travel sectorPharmacy & pharmaceuticalsNon-profit & fundraisingDebt collection & receivables managementNotaryStaffing & flexible workMental health & psychologyBeauty & wellnessGP practicesEvents sectorRenewable energy & the energy transitionIT & software developmentHousing associations & owners' associationsFacilities management & cleaningTranslation & localisationResearch & scienceBuilding management & installationsElderly care & long-term careRadiology & medical imagingBanks & fintechPathologyEye careProcurement & tenderingSocial domain & youth careOccupational health & absenteeismCorporate training & L&DGreenhouse horticultureHotels & holiday accommodationFashion & textilesFood industryPharmaceutical industryPhotographyWater managementCybersecurityGraphic design & designMusic & audio productionGame developmentInterior designVideo & film production
The full index on one scale
Ordered by quality, height is our editorial score. GLM (Z.ai) is highlighted.
#1Gemini#2Claude#3Kimi#4ChatGPT#5Copilot#6Qwen#7GLM (Z.ai)#8DeepSeek#9Grok#10Le Chat (Mistral)#11Perplexity#12Llama
Scale 0 to 10 · editorial score
1Gemini8,62Claude9,03Kimi7,64ChatGPT8,95Copilot8,36Qwen7,97GLM (Z.ai)7,78DeepSeek7,49Grok7,810Le Chat (Mistral)8,411Perplexity8,012Llama7,6
Compare GLM (Z.ai) with another
What the community says
GLM-5.3: Frontier coding with emergent cyber capabilities1171 points · 584 commentsGLM-5.3-Flash1132 points · 580 commentsGLM-5.3 is now open-weight806 points · 280 commentsOne month coding with GLM 5.3 Flash234 points · 180 comments
Hacker News, last 90 days, praise and criticism.
