---
title: Z.ai (GLM)
slug: zhipu-zai
url: "https://toolweight.com/tools/zhipu-zai"
homepage: "https://z.ai"
categories: llm-apis
last_verified: 2026-11-07
dataset_version: 0738be72
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Z.ai (GLM)

> GLM models with an unusually cheap flat-rate coding plan

- Zhipu's GLM series, sold internationally as Z.ai, targets coding and agentic workloads
- Flagship weights released under MIT
- Most disruptive product is the flat-rate coding subscription, not the token price
- Widely mirrored by routers, how most Western teams reach it

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Z.ai (GLM) |
| Company | Zhipu AI |
| One-liner | GLM models with an unusually cheap flat-rate coding plan |
| Site | https://z.ai |
| Docs | https://docs.z.ai |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | MIT |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [LLM APIs](https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis)
Ranked **#15 of 18** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note | Permalink |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flagship model | GLM-4.6 | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | A newer GLM generation may have shipped since; verify before quoting. | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--flagship_model |
| Context window | 200,000 tokens | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--context_window |
| Max output | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--max_output |
| Image input | ◐ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | Via the separate GLM-V line. | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--vision |
| Audio in/out | ○ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--audio_io |
| Open weights | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-01-15 | https://huggingface.co/zai-org/GLM-4.6 | GLM-4.6 weights released under MIT. | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--open_weights |
| OpenAI-compat API | ● | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--openai_compatible |
| TTFT p50 | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--ttft_p50 |
| Output tok/s | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--throughput_tps |
| $/M input | $0.6/M tok | Vendor-claimed | 2026-11-06 | https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--price_in |
| $/M output | $2.2/M tok | Vendor-claimed | 2026-11-06 | https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--price_out |
| $/M cache read | $0.11/M tok | Vendor-claimed | 2026-11-07 | https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--cached_input |
| Batch discount | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--batch_discount |
| Tool use | ● | Community-reported | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--tool_use |
| Schema output | ◐ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--structured_output |
| Effort control | ◐ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--reasoning_effort |
| Computer use | ○ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--computer_use |
| MCP support | ○ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--mcp_support |
| Cache TTL | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--prompt_cache_ttl |
| Continuity policy | Versioned model names (GLM-4.5, 4.6) stay addressable after a successor ships, but there is no published deprecation policy or notice period. MIT-licensed weights are the fallback: every flagship generation so far has been released publicly, so a retired endpoint does not strand the model. | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--continuity_policy |
| Notice period | - | Unknown | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--deprecation_notice |
| Pinnable versions | ● | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--pinned_snapshots |
| Zero retention | ○ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--zero_retention |
| Trains on your data | ◐ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--trains_on_data |
| AU region | ○ | Inferred | 2026-01-15 | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--au_region |
| API since | 2023 | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--launch_year |
| Positioning | Coding-focused GLM models with a flat-rate subscription | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/llm-apis#zhipu-zai--positioning |

**Verdict.** The flat-rate coding plan is genuinely disruptive, turning all-day agent use into a fixed cost; quality trails only on hard reasoning.

## Alternatives

- [Qwen](https://toolweight.com/tools/alibaba-qwen), Alibaba's model family, huge open-weight range, closed flagship
- [Amazon Bedrock](https://toolweight.com/tools/amazon-bedrock), Multi-vendor model access inside your existing AWS account
- [Anthropic](https://toolweight.com/tools/anthropic), Claude models, built around long agentic runs and tool use
- [Cerebras](https://toolweight.com/tools/cerebras), Wafer-scale inference, the fastest tokens per second available
- [Cohere](https://toolweight.com/tools/cohere), Enterprise-focused models built for RAG and private deployment
- [DeepSeek](https://toolweight.com/tools/deepseek), Frontier-adjacent models at a small fraction of Western prices
- [Fireworks AI](https://toolweight.com/tools/fireworks-ai), Fast open-weight inference with strong structured-output support
- [Google Gemini](https://toolweight.com/tools/google-gemini), Gemini via AI Studio for prototyping or Vertex AI for production
- [Groq](https://toolweight.com/tools/groq), Custom LPU silicon serving open-weight models at extreme speed
- [Meta Llama](https://toolweight.com/tools/meta-llama), Open-weight Llama models, hosted almost everywhere but Meta
- [Mistral AI](https://toolweight.com/tools/mistral-ai), European lab with an open-weight lineage and EU-resident hosting
- [Moonshot AI](https://toolweight.com/tools/moonshot-ai), Kimi models, open-weight agentic performance at low cost

## Logo & brand colours

SVG files: https://toolweight.com/teams/z-ai-glm/logo.svg and https://toolweight.com/teams/z-ai-glm/mono.svg. JSON: https://toolweight.com/api/v1/brands/z-ai-glm.

| Hex | oklch |
| --- | --- |
| #2d2d2d | oklch(29.7% 0.000 0.0) |

## Licence and attribution

Data from Toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/tools/zhipu-zai
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/tools/zhipu-zai.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- Toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements.