Grok vs Z.ai Chat

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

Grok

xAI's AI assistant with live X and web search, image and voice tools

4.0(1 review)Freemium

Visit website View details

Z.ai Chat

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

Freemium

Visit website View details

Verdict

Grok and Z.ai Chat are both AI Assistants tools. Grok scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.3 vs 8.0 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Grok is available on iOS and Android.

Best overall

Grok

Everyday users
Developers
Researchers
Content creators

Choose Grok if

You want a tool built for questions that need current information from X and the web.
Searches both X posts and the web for current information.
Free tier available without a subscription.

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: Grok
Best for business: Z.ai Chat

Features

16 features compared.

Live Search
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
Chat and Reasoning
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
File and Image Analysis
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
Grok Imagine
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
Voice Mode
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
Conversation Import
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
Shared Subscription
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
xAI API
Grok
Available
Z.ai Chat
Not available
GLM Chat
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Agent Capabilities
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Vision Understanding
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Coding Assistance
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
GLM Coding Plan
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Web Search and Web Reader MCP
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Z.ai API Platform
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available
Open-Weights Models
Grok
Not available
Z.ai Chat
Available

Pricing

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

Pricing model
Grok
Freemium
Z.ai Chat
Freemium
Free plan
Grok
Yes
Z.ai Chat
Yes
Starting price
Grok
$0
Z.ai Chat
$0
Plans
Grok
5 plans
Z.ai Chat
4 plans

Grok plans

Free
$0
Capped use of Grok on grok.com, X and the apps.
- Limited prompts
- Basic models
Plus
$8/month
Entry plan with a shared usage pool across Grok, the API, Cursor and X.
- Grok Chat
- Voice
- Imagine and Build
- Grok API
- Cursor
- Fewer X timeline ads
- Premium checkmark
Premium
Most popular
$30/month
4x the usage of Plus with the latest models.
- 4x Plus usage
- Latest Grok models
- Image and video generation
- Cloud agents and automations
- Ad-free X on most surfaces
Super
$100/month
15x the usage of Plus.
- 15x Plus usage
- 1080p video
- Priority model access at peak times
Ultra
$200/month
50x the usage of Plus.
- 50x Plus usage
- Most powerful chat models
- Earliest access to new products and models

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.

Grok: 8.3overall
Z.ai Chat: 8.0overall

Grok leads in 0 categories and Z.ai Chat in 1.

Real-time Information Access
Grok
8.8
Z.ai Chat
Not rated
Image and Video Generation
Grok
8.2
Z.ai Chat
Not rated
Reasoning & Math
Grok
8.5
Z.ai Chat
Not rated
Coding & Syntax
Grok
8.3
Z.ai Chat
Not rated
Value for Money
Z.ai Chat leads by 1.3
Grok
7.5
Z.ai Chat
8.8
Ease of Use
Grok
Not rated
Z.ai Chat
8.0
Feature Depth
Grok
Not rated
Z.ai Chat
7.8
Performance & Speed
Grok
Not rated
Z.ai Chat
8.0
Documentation & Support
Grok
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

Grok

Pros

Searches both X posts and the web for current information
Free tier available without a subscription
Image and video generation in the same app as chat
Separate API with long context windows (up to 1M tokens on some models)
Real-time voice mode in the mobile apps

Cons

Free usage is capped, and xAI does not publish the exact limit
Usage limits are given only as multiples of the Plus plan, not as fixed numbers
Answers drawing on X posts can reflect unverified social content
The App Store rates the app 16+ because of mature themes

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

Integrations

Grok

No integrations listed.

Z.ai Chat

7 integrations

Claude Code
Codex
Cline
Kilo Code
OpenCode
ZCode
OpenClaw

Company

Company
Grok
xAI
Z.ai Chat
Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
Founded
Grok
2023
Z.ai Chat
2019
Headquarters
Grok
Not listed
Z.ai Chat
Beijing, China
Listing
Grok
Claimed
Z.ai Chat
Claimed

Featured AI Assistants

Picked by our editors. Not paid placement.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grok better than Z.ai Chat?

It depends on your workflow. Grok is built for questions that need current information from X and the web. 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 Grok and Z.ai Chat?

Grok: xAI's AI assistant with live X and web search, image and voice tools. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research. Grok is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

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

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

Which is cheaper, Grok 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.

Verdict

Best overall

Choose Grok if

Choose Z.ai Chat if

Features

Pricing

Grok plans

Free

Plus

Premium

Super

Ultra

Z.ai Chat plans

Chat (Free)

GLM Coding Lite

GLM Coding Pro

GLM Coding Max

Our ratings

Real-time Information Access

Image and Video Generation

Reasoning & Math

Coding & Syntax

Value for Money

Ease of Use

Feature Depth

Performance & Speed

Documentation & Support

Pros and cons

Grok

Pros

Cons

Z.ai Chat

Pros

Cons

Platforms

Integrations

Grok

Z.ai Chat

Company

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Frequently asked questions