Qwen
Alibaba's free AI assistant and open-weight model family, on web, mobile and API
Freemium
Z.ai Chat
Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research
Freemium
Verdict
Qwen and Z.ai Chat are both AI Assistants tools. Qwen scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.7 vs 8.0 out of 10), led by value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Qwen is available on Android.
Best overall
Qwen
- Developers
- AI researchers
- Multilingual users
- Teams that self-host models
Choose Qwen if
- You want a tool built for free general-purpose chat.
- Free web assistant with image, video and document features.
- Open-weight models in many sizes on Hugging Face and GitHub.
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.
- Document processingQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Web search and tool useQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Voice and video chatQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- ArtifactsQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Multi-model chatQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Image and video understandingQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Image generation and editingQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Open-weight modelsQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- Model Studio APIQwenAvailableZ.ai ChatNot available
- GLM ChatQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Agent CapabilitiesQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Vision UnderstandingQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Coding AssistanceQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- GLM Coding PlanQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Web Search and Web Reader MCPQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Z.ai API PlatformQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
- Open-Weights ModelsQwenNot availableZ.ai ChatAvailable
Pricing
Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.
- Pricing modelQwenFreemiumZ.ai ChatFreemium
- Free planQwenYesZ.ai ChatYes
- Starting priceQwen$0Z.ai Chat$0
- PlansQwen2 plansZ.ai Chat4 plans
Qwen plans
Qwen Chat (web and app)
Most popular$0
Free access to the Qwen assistant on the web and Android
- Chat with Qwen models
- Image and video understanding
- Image generation
- Web search
- Document processing
- Artifacts
Open weights
$0
Downloadable models from Hugging Face and GitHub; license varies by model
- Many model sizes
- Run locally
- Self-hosting
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.
- Qwen
- 8.7overall
- Z.ai Chat
- 8.0overall
Qwen leads in 1 category and Z.ai Chat in 1.
Open-Weight Availability
- Qwen
- 9.3
- Z.ai Chat
- Not rated
Multilingual Accuracy
- Qwen
- 8.8
- Z.ai Chat
- Not rated
Coding & Syntax
- Qwen
- 8.5
- Z.ai Chat
- Not rated
Ease of Use
Z.ai Chat leads by 0.2- Qwen
- 7.8
- Z.ai Chat
- 8.0
Value for Money
Qwen leads by 0.2- Qwen
- 9.0
- Z.ai Chat
- 8.8
Feature Depth
- Qwen
- Not rated
- Z.ai Chat
- 7.8
Performance & Speed
- Qwen
- Not rated
- Z.ai Chat
- 8.0
Documentation & Support
- Qwen
- 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
Qwen
Pros
- Free web assistant with image, video and document features
- Open-weight models in many sizes on Hugging Face and GitHub
- Hosted API with Max, Flash and Omni model options
- Strong multilingual coverage, including Chinese
- Many models can be self-hosted, which keeps data on your own hardware
Cons
- No published paid consumer tier or stated usage limits for the free assistant
- Open-weight licenses vary by model, so not every model is Apache 2.0
- Hosted chat and API are run by a China-based company, which may not suit sensitive data
- App and model names change often, which can make official apps hard to identify
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
- WebQwenSupportedZ.ai ChatSupported
- WindowsQwenNot supportedZ.ai ChatNot supported
- macOSQwenNot supportedZ.ai ChatNot supported
- iOSQwenNot supportedZ.ai ChatNot supported
- AndroidQwenSupportedZ.ai ChatNot supported
- APIQwenSupportedZ.ai ChatSupported
- Browser ExtensionQwenNot supportedZ.ai ChatNot supported
Integrations
Qwen
5 integrations- Hugging Face
- GitHub
- Ollama
- LM Studio
- Alibaba Cloud Model Studio
Z.ai Chat
7 integrations- Claude Code
- Codex
- Cline
- Kilo Code
- OpenCode
- ZCode
- OpenClaw
Company
- CompanyQwenAlibaba CloudZ.ai ChatZ.ai (Zhipu AI)
- FoundedQwen2009Z.ai Chat2019
- HeadquartersQwenHangzhou, ChinaZ.ai ChatBeijing, China
- ListingQwenClaimedZ.ai ChatClaimed
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Frequently asked questions
Is Qwen better than Z.ai Chat?
It depends on your workflow. Qwen is built for free general-purpose chat. 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 Qwen and Z.ai Chat?
Qwen: Alibaba's free AI assistant and open-weight model family, on web, mobile and API. Z.ai Chat: Free GLM-powered AI chatbot and agent from Zhipu AI for writing, coding and research.
Does Qwen or Z.ai Chat have a free plan?
Yes, both do. Qwen is freemium and Z.ai Chat is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.
Which is cheaper, Qwen 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.