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DeepSeek vs Z.ai Chat

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

Z.ai Chat logo

Z.ai Chat

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

Freemium
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Verdict

DeepSeek and Z.ai Chat are both AI Assistants tools. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 8.0 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek is available on Windows, macOS and iOS.

Best overall

DeepSeek

  • Software developers
  • Researchers and analysts
  • Students
  • AI engineers

Choose DeepSeek if

  • You want a tool built for Low-cost API integration.
  • Web chat and mobile apps are free.
  • API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers.

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
Z.ai Chat
Best for business
Z.ai Chat

Features

17 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • GLM Chat
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Agent Capabilities
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Vision Understanding
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Coding Assistance
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • GLM Coding Plan
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Web Search and Web Reader MCP
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Z.ai API Platform
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Open-Weights Models
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available

Pricing

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

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

DeepSeek plans

  • Chat and App

    Most popular

    $0

    Free access to DeepSeek models on web, iOS and Android

    • Web chat
    • iOS and Android apps
    • Thinking mode
    • Web search
    • File upload

  • API: deepseek-flash

    $0.15/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.15 cache-miss input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Vision
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

  • API: deepseek-v4-pro

    $0.66/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.66 cache-miss input and $1.98 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

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.

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Z.ai Chat
8.0overall

DeepSeek leads in 0 categories and Z.ai Chat in 0, with 1 tied.

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Tied
    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    7.8

  • Value for Money

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.8

  • Performance & Speed

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    DeepSeek
    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

DeepSeek

Pros

  • Web chat and mobile apps are free
  • API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers
  • Open weights for V4 and earlier models on Hugging Face
  • 1M-token context and 384K max output on both API models
  • API works with both OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs and several coding agents

Cons

  • Peak-hour API rates are double the off-peak rates on weekday mornings UTC
  • deepseek-v4-pro does not support vision input
  • No image generation
  • Data is processed by a company based in China, which some organizations cannot accept

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

Integrations

DeepSeek

6 integrations
  • OpenAI SDK
  • Anthropic SDK
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • OpenCode
  • Hugging Face

Z.ai Chat

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

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Z.ai Chat
    Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Z.ai Chat
    2019
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Z.ai Chat
    Beijing, China
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Z.ai Chat
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Z.ai Chat?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. 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 DeepSeek and Z.ai Chat?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research.

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

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

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek 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.