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Google Gemini vs Z.ai Chat

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

Google Gemini logo

Google Gemini

Google's AI assistant for chat, research, image and video creation, and Workspace apps

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

Google Gemini and Z.ai Chat are both AI Assistants tools. Google Gemini scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.0 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Google Gemini is available on iOS and Android.

Best overall

Google Gemini

  • Students
  • Professionals
  • Researchers
  • Content Creators

Choose Google Gemini if

  • You want a tool built for everyday assistant tasks for people who already use Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android, plus research, multimodal analysis and quick image or video generation.
  • A capable free tier that includes Deep Research, Gemini Live, image generation and Canvas.
  • Integration with Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps and YouTube for people already in Google's ecosystem.

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.

  • Gemini Live
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Deep Research
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Image, Video and Music Generation
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Gems
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Canvas
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Google App Extensions
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Search Grounding
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Android App Actions
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Long-Context File Analysis
    Google Gemini
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • GLM Chat
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Agent Capabilities
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Vision Understanding
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Coding Assistance
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • GLM Coding Plan
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Web Search and Web Reader MCP
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Z.ai API Platform
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Open-Weights Models
    Google Gemini
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Google Gemini plans

  • Free

    $0

    Standard usage limits with the Flash-Lite model and 15 GB of storage.

    • Image generation and editing
    • Deep Research
    • Gemini Live
    • Canvas
    • Gems
    • limited Google Flow access

  • Google AI Plus

    $4.99/month

    About 2x the free usage limits with the Flash model and 400 GB of storage.

    • Video generation
    • 200 Google Flow credits
    • 400 GB storage
    • higher limits

  • Google AI Pro

    Most popular

    $19.99/month

    About 4x the free usage limits with Pro models and 5 TB of storage.

    • Pro model access
    • 1,000 Google Flow credits
    • 5 TB storage
    • Gemini in Gmail and Docs
    • Google Antigravity access

  • Google AI Ultra

    $99.99/month

    Highest limits: 5x Pro limits from $99.99 or 20x Pro limits at $199.99, with 20 TB or more of storage.

    • Highest access to Pro and Flash models
    • 10,000 or 25,000 Google Flow credits
    • Project Genie
    • YouTube Premium individual plan
    • early access to new features

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.

Google Gemini
8.7overall
Z.ai Chat
8.0overall

Google Gemini leads in 0 categories and Z.ai Chat in 1.

  • Multimodal Capability

    Google Gemini
    9.0
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Google Workspace Integration

    Google Gemini
    9.2
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Reasoning & Factuality

    Google Gemini
    8.6
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Coding & Logic

    Google Gemini
    8.5
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Z.ai Chat leads by 0.4
    Google Gemini
    8.4
    Z.ai Chat
    8.8

  • Ease of Use

    Google Gemini
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    Google Gemini
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    7.8

  • Performance & Speed

    Google Gemini
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Google Gemini
    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

Google Gemini

Pros

  • A capable free tier that includes Deep Research, Gemini Live, image generation and Canvas
  • Integration with Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps and YouTube for people already in Google's ecosystem
  • Native handling of text, voice, images, video and files in one app
  • Low-cost AI Plus tier at $4.99 per month, plus bundled storage on every paid plan
  • Available on web, Android and iOS, with Android app automation

Cons

  • Higher-end models and Workspace integration require the $19.99 per month Pro plan or above
  • Usage limits depend on prompt complexity and reset every 5 hours until a weekly cap, which makes capacity hard to predict
  • The top Ultra plans cost $99.99 to $199.99 per month
  • Some features vary by country, language and age, so availability differs between users

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

Integrations

Google Gemini

6 integrations
  • Gmail
  • Google Docs
  • Google Drive
  • Google Maps
  • YouTube
  • Google Search

Z.ai Chat

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

Company

  • Company
    Google Gemini
    Google
    Z.ai Chat
    Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
  • Founded
    Google Gemini
    1998
    Z.ai Chat
    2019
  • Headquarters
    Google Gemini
    Mountain View, California, USA
    Z.ai Chat
    Beijing, China
  • Monthly users
    Google Gemini
    1B+
    Z.ai Chat
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Google Gemini
    Claimed
    Z.ai Chat
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Gemini better than Z.ai Chat?

It depends on your workflow. Google Gemini is built for everyday assistant tasks for people who already use Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android, plus research, multimodal analysis and quick image or video generation. 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 Google Gemini and Z.ai Chat?

Google Gemini: Google's AI assistant for chat, research, image and video creation, and Workspace apps. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research.

Does Google Gemini or Z.ai Chat have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Google Gemini 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.