Z.ai (Zhipu GLM)
Zhipu's GLM model family, open weights and a Singapore-run API
Overview
Z.ai is the international platform of Zhipu AI, listed in Hong Kong as Knowledge Atlas Technology (2513.HK), for its GLM models. The flagship GLM-5.3 costs $1.40 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output through an OpenAI-compatible API, several Flash models are free, and the GLM Coding Plan from $18 a month feeds Claude Code, Cline and other agent tools. Most GLM weights are MIT-licensed; GLM-5.3 has its own licence.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- GLM-4.7-Flash
- GLM-4.5-Flash
- GLM-4.6V-Flash
- Cached input $0.26 per 1M on GLM-5.3
- Web search tool $0.01 per use
- GLM-5 at $1 / $3.20
- 10,000 credits a week
- Supports 20+ agent tools, including ZCode and Claude Code
- Rolling access to the latest flagship models
- 6x Lite usage
- Curated MCP tools
- Faster generation speeds
- 14x Lite usage
- First access to new flagship models
- Dedicated resources during peak times
API pricing (pay as you go)
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-5.3 | $1.40 | $0.26 | $4.40 |
| GLM-5.3-Flash | $0.15 | $0.03 | $0.50 |
| GLM-5.2 | $1.40 | $0.26 | $4.40 |
| GLM-5.1 | $1.40 | $0.26 | $4.40 |
| GLM-5 | $1 | $0.20 | $3.20 |
| GLM-4.7 | $0.60 | $0.11 | $2.20 |
| GLM-4.7-FlashX | $0.07 | $0.01 | $0.40 |
| GLM-4.5-Air | $0.20 | $0.03 | $1.10 |
| GLM-4.6V Vision model. | $0.30 | $0.05 | $0.90 |
| GLM-4.6V-FlashX Vision model. | $0.04 | $0.004 | $0.40 |
| GLM-OCR Vision/OCR model; no cached-input price listed. | $0.03 | — | $0.03 |
Use cases
What you can produce with Z.ai (Zhipu GLM)
- GLM-5.3 responses through an OpenAI-compatible API at $1.40 / $4.40 per million tokens
- Whole-repository context in one request with the 1M-token GLM-5.2 and GLM-5.3 models
- Coding-agent sessions in Claude Code, Cline, OpenCode or ZCode on a GLM Coding Plan from $18 a month
- Self-hosted deployments from MIT-licensed GLM-5, 5.1, 5.2 or 5.3-Flash weights
- Free prototyping on GLM-4.7-Flash and GLM-4.5-Flash
- Chinese-English drafting and translation in one model
GLM is one of the strongest price-performance options among open-weight model families: GLM-5.3 lists at $1.40 and $4.40 per million tokens, Flash models are free, and the GLM Coding Plan from $18 a month plugs into Claude Code and other agents. The API is served by a Singapore entity, which simplifies procurement for ASEAN teams.
Two cautions. Releases arrive every few months, so pin model versions, and the newest flagship, GLM-5.3, is no longer MIT-licensed; very large model-as-a-service operators need Z.ai's review before commercial use. Benchmark leads are Zhipu's own figures.
What we found
Z.ai is the international brand of Zhipu AI (智谱), the Beijing developer of the GLM models, which listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as Knowledge Atlas Technology (2513.HK) on 8 January 2026 at HK$116.20 a share. In July 2026 it placed up to 19.78 million new shares at HK$1,588 each, raising HK$31.41 billion, according to The Standard. The model line goes back to GLM-130B, released with Tsinghua University's knowledge-engineering group in August 2022, and ChatGLM-6B in March 2023.
The release pace this year has been quick. Z.ai's release notes list GLM-5 on 12 February, GLM-5.1 on 7 April, GLM-5.2 with a 1M-token context on 16 June, GLM-5.3 on 18 August and GLM-5.3-Flash on 26 August. GLM-5.3 reuses GLM-5.2's base model with more post-training; Zhipu claims a 50% gain on its in-house Z.ai Code Bench and open-weight leads on Terminal Bench 3.0, figures it reports itself. The licence has also shifted. GLM-5 to 5.2 and GLM-5.3-Flash are MIT-licensed, but GLM-5.3 ships under its own licence, which requires any model-as-a-service business with group revenue above US$10 billion a year to pass Z.ai's security review before commercial use.
On the API, GLM-5.3, 5.2 and 5.1 cost $1.40 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output, GLM-5 $1 and $3.20, and GLM-5.3-Flash $0.15 and $0.50; GLM-4.7-Flash and GLM-4.5-Flash stay free. The endpoint is OpenAI-compatible. The GLM Coding Plan, at $18, $80 or $168 a month with 20% off quarterly and 30% off yearly, works in Claude Code, Cline, OpenCode and Zhipu's own ZCode, and charges half its credit rate outside weekday 14:00 to 18:00 Singapore time.
For ASEAN buyers the data question is clearer than earlier versions of this page suggested: Z.ai contracts through a Singapore company under Singapore law, and its privacy policy says data is generally processed in Singapore. The free chat at chat.z.ai, where the z.ai address now redirects, is the quickest way to try the models before paying for anything.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Z.ai (Zhipu GLM)'s official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Z.ai (Zhipu GLM) unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
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