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Perplexity 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

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

Best overall

Perplexity

  • Researchers
  • Students
  • Analysts
  • Journalists

Choose Perplexity if

  • You want a tool built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.
  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check.
  • Free plan includes search with citations.

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
Perplexity
Best for business
Perplexity

Features

16 features compared.

  • Cited answers
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Pro Search
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Research
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Model selection
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • File uploads
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Perplexity Computer
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Comet browser
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • Perplexity API
    Perplexity
    Available
    Z.ai Chat
    Not available
  • GLM Chat
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Agent Capabilities
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Vision Understanding
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Coding Assistance
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • GLM Coding Plan
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Web Search and Web Reader MCP
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Z.ai API Platform
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available
  • Open-Weights Models
    Perplexity
    Not available
    Z.ai Chat
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Perplexity plans

  • Free

    $0

    Basic search with citations and limited daily usage.

    • Search with citations
    • 3 Pro Searches per day
    • 1 Research query per month
    • Limited file uploads

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Higher limits, advanced models and Perplexity Computer for individuals.

    • Extended Pro Search
    • Extended Research
    • Advanced AI models
    • Image generation
    • Create files and apps
    • Comet Assistant
    • Weekly Computer usage

  • Max

    $200/month

    Highest consumer limits, with monthly credits and priority support.

    • Everything in Pro
    • 10,000 monthly credits
    • Highest Comet Assistant limits
    • Brain (research preview)
    • Extended Create files and apps
    • Priority support

  • Enterprise Pro

    $40/user/mo

    Team plan with admin controls and organizational features.

    • 400 Pro Searches per week
    • 50 Research queries per month
    • 80 Comet Assistant queries per month
    • 500 monthly credits
    • File uploads and sharing

  • Enterprise Max

    $325/user/mo

    Highest enterprise limits with SCIM, audit logs and priority support.

    • 4,000 Pro Searches per week
    • 500 Research queries per month
    • 15,000 monthly credits
    • 15 videos per month
    • SCIM and audit logs
    • Priority 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.

Perplexity
8.7overall
Z.ai Chat
8.0overall

  • Live Web Search & Citations

    Perplexity
    9.2
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Real-time Factuality & News

    Perplexity
    8.6
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Source Transparency

    Perplexity
    9.0
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Document & Research Analysis

    Perplexity
    8.3
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Search Speed & Responsiveness

    Perplexity
    8.5
    Z.ai Chat
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Perplexity
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    Perplexity
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    7.8

  • Value for Money

    Perplexity
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.8

  • Performance & Speed

    Perplexity
    Not rated
    Z.ai Chat
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Perplexity
    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

Perplexity

Pros

  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check
  • Free plan includes search with citations
  • Paid plans offer a choice of advanced models from several providers
  • Available on web, iOS, Android and through a developer API
  • Separate Comet browser integrates the assistant into browsing

Cons

  • Free plan is limited to 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research query per month
  • Pro and Max limits are described as weekly or monthly allowances rather than fixed numbers
  • Max costs $200 per month, and Enterprise Max costs $325
  • Answers can still contain errors, so the cited sources need checking

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

Integrations

Perplexity

No integrations listed.

Z.ai Chat

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

Company

  • Company
    Perplexity
    Perplexity AI, Inc.
    Z.ai Chat
    Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
  • Founded
    Perplexity
    2022
    Z.ai Chat
    2019
  • Headquarters
    Perplexity
    San Francisco, CA
    Z.ai Chat
    Beijing, China
  • Listing
    Perplexity
    Claimed
    Z.ai Chat
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Perplexity better than Z.ai Chat?

It depends on your workflow. Perplexity is built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research. 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 Perplexity and Z.ai Chat?

Perplexity: AI answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research.

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

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

Which is cheaper, Perplexity 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.