ChatGPT vs Z.ai
We give ChatGPT a 3.8 GPA and Z.ai a 3.2, out of 4.0. ChatGPT grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ChatGPT
OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice
Z.ai
Chat assistant and agent built on Z.ai's GLM models
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAChatGPTExcellent | 3.2GPAZ.aiVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is $20 a month, which is the going rate, and Go is $8 if you need less. No bargain, though. Gemini's paid plan starts at $4.99, and Pro here runs $100 to $500. | BThe upgrade link leads to the GLM Coding Plan, from $18 a month or $12.60 on the yearly plan. Ordinary money. But it's built for coding tools like Claude Code, and nothing documents what it adds in the chat app beyond higher agent limits. Subscriptions are non-refundable too. |
| Free plan and trial | AUnlimited text chats for free, which is most of what people do with it. Uploads, images, voice, deep research and memory are there too, each with a limit. | BChat is free, and the terms say you can use the site without registering. Signing in unlocks the advanced models. But agent tasks run on a quota nobody publishes: the app only tells you it's used up and when to try again. |
| Features | AChat, image generation, real-time voice, web search and Deep Research reports in one app. Plus adds projects, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs and Codex, a coding agent. | AChat with Deep Think, quick or multi-round web search that shows its sources, slide decks you can export as PPTX or PDF, and a Full-Stack mode that builds a web project and puts it on a public URL. It reads PDFs, images and video too, and an agent called AI Intern is in beta. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 11 million App Store ratings. You open it and type a question the way you'd text a friend. There's nothing to set up first. | BOpen the site and type, with no account needed to start. There's no app to install and none in the app stores, so we have no rating on record to go by. That makes it a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with your chats synced across all of them. There's an API for developers too, and Codex hooks into Slack. | BThe assistant is a web app only: no phone app is listed, and none turned up in US App Store or Google Play searches. There is an API platform, the Coding Plan works in tools like Claude Code and Cursor, and AI Intern connects to Feishu, Discord and WeChat. |
| Best for | everyday questions, writing and images | a free assistant on the GLM models |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ChatGPT and Z.ai. How we grade
Where they differ
- ChatGPT starts at $8 per month (Go). Z.ai starts at $12.60 per month, billed yearly ($151.20), or $18 billed monthly.
- Only ChatGPT lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Z.ai also covers AI agents, app builder and presentations.
At a glance
| ChatGPT | Z.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month (Go) | $12.60 per month, billed yearly ($151.20), or $18 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory. | Chat is free, and the terms say the site can be used without registering. Signing in unlocks advanced models; agent tasks run on a quota that refills after a wait, with limits that are not published. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenAI | Z.ai (Jingsheng Hengxing Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
| Price read from | learn.chatgpt.com | z.ai |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
ChatGPT
- General-purpose help with writing, questions and brainstorming
- People who want chat, voice, images and web search in one assistant
- Trying an AI assistant at no cost before paying
Z.ai
- People who want a free assistant built on the GLM models
- Generating slide decks and small web projects from a prompt
- Developers who also want GLM quota in coding tools like Claude Code
Worth knowing
ChatGPT
- Pro is sold at three price points, $100, $200 or $500 per month, well above the $20 Plus plan.
- Business requires at least 2 users. SCIM, EKM and role-based access control are reserved for Enterprise and Edu.
- OpenAI's pricing page says the Go plan may include ads, and Wikipedia reports ad tests in the free version for logged-in adult US users since January 2026.
- The Linux desktop app is a preview, limited to recent Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Arch Linux releases on x64 and ARM64.
Z.ai
- Paid tiers are the GLM Coding Plan, which the docs limit to supported coding and agent tools; what a tier adds in the chat app beyond higher agent limits is not documented.
- Free usage limits are not published: the app only reports that the agent quota is exhausted and when to retry.
- The chat assistant is a web app only: Z.ai's pages list no mobile app for it, and none appeared in US App Store or Google Play searches when checked.
- Subscriptions renew automatically and are non-refundable once purchased, and team plans need at least 2 seats.
Key features
ChatGPT
- Conversational help
- Answers questions, drafts and reworks text, explains topics and reads uploaded photos in a chat, with history synced across your devices.
- Image generation
- Creates original images from a description, or transforms existing images from a short instruction.
- Advanced Voice Mode
- Hold a real-time spoken conversation in the mobile app by tapping the soundwave icon.
- Search and Deep Research
- ChatGPT Search draws on the web for more up-to-date answers, and Deep Research generates a report from extensive web searches.
- Codex
- A coding agent that runs on the web, in a CLI, in an IDE extension and on iOS from the Plus plan, with integrations such as automatic code review and Slack.
- GPTs and agents
- GPTs customize ChatGPT's behavior for a specific use case, and ChatGPT agent carries out multi-step tasks.
Z.ai
- GLM models with Deep Think
- Chat runs on Z.ai's own GLM models, with GLM-5.3 set as the default in the public configuration, and has a Deep Think option. The same models are sold per token through Z.ai's API platform.
- Search and Deep Research
- Search runs a single quick round and Advanced Search runs multi-round research, reporting the keywords searched and sources referenced. Deep Research is listed as a separate tool.
- AI Slides
- Generates slide decks from a prompt, lets you edit individual slides and their style, and exports the result as PPTX, PDF or images.
- Full-Stack mode
- Builds a web project in a cloud workspace with code view and live preview, then deploys it to a public URL. The app advertises full-stack generation as free.
- Vision and file tools
- Accepts PDF, DOCX and PPTX documents and JPG or PNG images up to 50 MB each and MP4 video up to 200 MB, with tools such as OCR Scan, Math Solve, Video Understanding and Data Insight.
- AI Intern (beta)
- A cloud-hosted agent with synced context memory that runs scheduled and long-running tasks and can be connected to Feishu, Discord and WeChat.
Plans
ChatGPT
Free$0
Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory.
Go$8
per month
More messages with tools, more uploads, image creation and voice chats than Free, and longer memory. OpenAI notes this plan may include ads.
Plus$20
per month
Advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research and memory, plus projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs.
Business$20
per user / month, billed annually
For 2 or more users: a dedicated workspace with admin controls, SAML SSO and MFA. $25 per user / month when billed monthly.
ProFrom $100
per month
A choice of three usage tiers at $100, $200 or $500 per month, with the highest limits, pro reasoning and an always-on agent.
Enterprise & EduCustom
Sold through sales, with priority request processing, SCIM, EKM, user analytics, domain verification and role-based access control.
Z.ai
Free$0
Chat with GLM models at no charge. Signing in unlocks advanced models, and agent use is capped by a quota whose size is not published.
Lite$18
per month, or $151.20 billed yearly ($12.60 a month)
GLM Coding Plan entry tier: 2,000 credits per 5 hours and 10,000 a week for GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash in supported coding tools.
Pro$80
per month, or $672 billed yearly ($56 a month)
GLM Coding Plan with 6x Lite usage (12,000 credits per 5 hours, 60,000 a week), priority access to new flagship models and faster generation.
Standard Seat (Team)$88
per seat / month, minimum 2 seats
GLM Coding Team Plan: 15,000 credits per 5 hours and 66,000 a week per seat, with seat management, usage insights and central billing.
Max$168
per month, or $1,411.20 billed yearly ($117.60 a month)
GLM Coding Plan with 14x Lite usage (28,000 credits per 5 hours, 140,000 a week), first access to new models and dedicated resources at peak times.
Premium Seat (Team)$188
per seat / month, minimum 2 seats
Team seat with 35,000 credits per 5 hours and 155,000 a week, plus early access to new flagship models and priority at peak hours.
Ways to pay less
ChatGPT
- Annual discount
Business is cheaper when billed annually
OpenAI's pricing page lists Business at $20 per user / month when billed annually, against $25 per user / month when billed monthly.
Z.ai
- Annual discount
30% off yearly billing, 20% off quarterly
Lite, Pro and Max cost 30% less on a continuous yearly subscription ($12.60, $56 and $117.60 a month) and 20% less on a quarterly one, compared with the monthly prices.
