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ChatGPT vs Z.ai Chat

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

ChatGPT logo

ChatGPT

OpenAI's AI assistant for writing, research, coding, image generation and voice chat

4.0(1 review)Freemium
Visit websiteView details
Z.ai Chat logo

Z.ai Chat

Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

ChatGPT and Z.ai Chat are both AI Assistants tools. ChatGPT scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.9 vs 8.0 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only ChatGPT is available on Windows, macOS and iOS. Only Z.ai Chat offers an API.

Best overall

ChatGPT

  • Students
  • Writers
  • Software Developers
  • Researchers

Choose ChatGPT if

  • You want a tool built for everyday questions, drafting and editing text, summarizing documents, coding help, data analysis and image generation in one assistant.
  • One assistant covers text, voice, images, file analysis, search and coding.
  • Free tier lets users try the service without a card.

Choose Z.ai Chat if

  • You want a tool built for trying GLM models at no cost, drafting and summarizing text, coding questions, low-cost API experimentation.
  • Free web chat with recent GLM models and no subscription needed.
  • Low per-token API prices, such as $0.15 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens for GLM-5.3-Flash.
Best for beginners
ChatGPT
Best for business
ChatGPT

Features

16 features compared.

  • Chat with web search
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Voice mode
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Image generation
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • File and image analysis
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Projects
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • ChatGPT agent
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Codex
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Connectors and apps
    ChatGPT
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • GLM Chat
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Agent Capabilities
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Vision Understanding
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Coding Assistance
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • GLM Coding Plan
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Web Search and Web Reader MCP
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Z.ai API Platform
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Open-Weights Models
    ChatGPT
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    ChatGPT
    Freemium
    Z.ai Chat
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    ChatGPT
    Yes
    Z.ai Chat
    Yes
  • Starting price
    ChatGPT
    $0
    Z.ai Chat
    $0
  • Plans
    ChatGPT
    8 plans
    Z.ai Chat
    4 plans

ChatGPT plans

  • Free

    $0

    Limited access to OpenAI's models for everyday use

    • Limited messages
    • Limited file uploads
    • Limited image generation
    • May show ads in some regions

  • Go

    $8/month

    Low-cost plan with more usage than Free

    • More messages than Free
    • More uploads and image generation
    • May show ads

  • Plus

    Most popular

    $20/month

    For individuals who want more capable models and higher limits

    • Access to more advanced models
    • Projects
    • Expanded Codex
    • Higher limits for research and voice

  • Pro 100

    $100/month

    High-volume use for research and coding

    • About 5x Plus usage
    • Everything in Plus

  • Pro 200

    $200/month

    Higher usage than Pro 100

    • About 20x Plus usage
    • Everything in Plus

  • Pro 500

    $500/month

    Highest usage tier

    • Highest usage limits
    • Ultrafast model variants
    • Everything in Plus

  • Business

    $25/user/mo

    For small teams, with a two-seat minimum

    • Shared workspace
    • Admin controls
    • Business data not used for training by default

  • Enterprise

    Custom/user/mo

    For large organizations, priced by contract

    • Single sign-on
    • Admin and security controls
    • Dedicated support

Z.ai Chat plans

  • Chat (Free)

    $0

    Web chat with GLM models at chat.z.ai

    • Web chat
    • GLM-5.3-Flash
    • agent features

  • GLM Coding Lite

    $18/month

    Lightweight coding workloads

    • 2,000 credits per 5 hours
    • 10,000 credits per week
    • GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash

  • GLM Coding Pro

    $80/month

    Professional coding workloads

    • 12,000 credits per 5 hours
    • 60,000 credits per week
    • Vision
    • Web Search and Web Reader MCP

  • GLM Coding Max

    $168/month

    High-volume coding workloads

    • 28,000 credits per 5 hours
    • 140,000 credits per week
    • Vision
    • Web Search and Web Reader MCP

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

ChatGPT
8.9overall
Z.ai Chat
8.0overall

  • General Reasoning & Logic

    ChatGPT
    9.0
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Conversational Fluency

    ChatGPT
    9.2
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Coding & Data Analysis

    ChatGPT
    8.8
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Multimodal Processing

    ChatGPT
    9.0
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Ecosystem & Integrations

    ChatGPT
    8.7
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    7.8

  • Value for Money

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.8

  • Performance & Speed

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    ChatGPT
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    7.5

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

ChatGPT

Pros

  • One assistant covers text, voice, images, file analysis, search and coding
  • Free tier lets users try the service without a card
  • Apps for web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows with synced history
  • Large ecosystem of connectors, projects and agent features
  • Plans range from $8 to $500 per month, so users can match spend to usage

Cons

  • Free and Go usage limits are low and may include ads
  • Pricing and model lineup change often, which makes limits hard to compare over time
  • Answers can be wrong and need checking, especially for facts and citations
  • The top Pro tiers cost $100 to $500 per month

Z.ai Chat

Pros

  • Free web chat with recent GLM models and no subscription needed.
  • Low per-token API prices, such as $0.15 input and $0.50 output per 1M tokens for GLM-5.3-Flash.
  • Many GLM models are open-weights, so they can be self-hosted.
  • The Coding Plan works with 20+ existing coding agent tools rather than locking users into one editor.
  • Vision, search and reader tools are included in Coding Plan tiers.

Cons

  • No confirmed official native iOS or Android app for the chat.
  • Coding Plan terms have changed several times (legacy plans replaced by credits on July 30, 2026), which makes usage harder to predict.
  • Service is operated by a China-based company, which may be a concern for data-residency-sensitive users.
  • Free chat usage limits are not publicly documented.

Platforms

  • Web
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Supported
  • Windows
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Not supported
  • macOS
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Not supported
  • iOS
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Not supported
  • Android
    ChatGPT
    Supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Not supported
  • API
    ChatGPT
    Not supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    ChatGPT
    Not supported
    Z.ai Chat
    Not supported

Integrations

ChatGPT

2 integrations
  • Gmail
  • MCP connectors

Z.ai Chat

7 integrations
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • Cline
  • Kilo Code
  • OpenCode
  • ZCode
  • OpenClaw

Company

  • Company
    ChatGPT
    OpenAI
    Z.ai Chat
    Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
  • Founded
    ChatGPT
    2015
    Z.ai Chat
    2019
  • Headquarters
    ChatGPT
    San Francisco, CA
    Z.ai Chat
    Beijing, China
  • Listing
    ChatGPT
    Claimed
    Z.ai Chat
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is ChatGPT better than Z.ai Chat?

It depends on your workflow. ChatGPT is built for everyday questions, drafting and editing text, summarizing documents, coding help, data analysis and image generation in one assistant. Z.ai Chat is built for trying GLM models at no cost, drafting and summarizing text, coding questions, low-cost API experimentation.

What are the key feature differences between ChatGPT and Z.ai Chat?

ChatGPT: OpenAI's AI assistant for writing, research, coding, image generation and voice chat. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research. ChatGPT is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does ChatGPT or Z.ai Chat have a free plan?

Yes, both do. ChatGPT is freemium and Z.ai Chat is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Z.ai Chat?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.