Provider profile · CN
Z.ai coding plans
Z.ai (formerly Zhipu) sells its open-weight GLM flagship models through the GLM Coding Plan — a credit-budget subscription that works with any OpenAI-compatible agent.
Privacy — API content processed real-time, not stored; some public/web data used for training.
Plans tracked
3
Models served
2
Cheapest plan
$18/mo
Last verified
04 Oct 2026
In 30 seconds
Z.ai sells 3 plans from $18 to $168/mo — the cheapest entry is $18/mo. 2 models tracked, led by the GLM-5.3 flagship. Plans work with third-party tools through an officially supported allowlist — not any compatible client.
Community
Community pulse scanned from Reddit by the tokenplans.dev tracker.
Plans
Z.ai plans, verified 04 Oct 2026
| Provider / planProvider and subscription tier. Badges and plan notes appear below. | PriceStandard monthly price in USD, before first-month promotions. | Top modelsFlagship models included in the plan. The list is approximate; '+N more' opens the full catalog. | Coding toolCoding tool included with the plan. 'only' means locked to the vendor's own tools — the supported set is listed next to the badge; '+others' means it also works elsewhere. | SubscribeOpen provider pricing. Referral links may support TokenPlans at no extra cost. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLM Coding Litei — Quarterly: -20% · Yearly: -30% — Off-peak (outside Mon–Fri 14:00–18:00 UTC+8): model usage billed at 50% of the standard credit rateLegacy GLM-5.2/5.1 auto-routes to GLM-5.3; GLM-4.7 requests auto-route to GLM-5.3-Flash10,000 Credits / 7 days · 2,000 Credits / 5 hours | $18.00 | GLM-5.3GLM-5.3-Flash | Many tools ↗allowlist | 10,000 Credits / 7 days · 2,000 Credits / 5 hours | 04 Oct | Subscribe↗ |
2026-10-21 · r/ZaiGLM: a Lite subscriber weighing an equal-price switch is told the model tier, not the quota, is the reason to move — "Not even a question, yes the pro plan is better. I use z.ai via API and honestly it's so much slower and not as good." source ↗ | ||||||
| GLM Coding Proi — Quarterly: -20% · Yearly: -30% — Off-peak (outside Mon–Fri 14:00–18:00 UTC+8): model usage billed at 50% of the standard credit rateLegacy GLM-5.2/5.1 auto-routes to GLM-5.3; GLM-4.7 requests auto-route to GLM-5.3-Flash60,000 Credits / 7 days (6× Lite) · 12,000 Credits / 5 hours | $80.00 | GLM-5.3GLM-5.3-Flash | Many tools ↗allowlist | 60,000 Credits / 7 days (6× Lite) · 12,000 Credits / 5 hours | 04 Oct | Subscribe↗ |
2026-10-22 · r/ZaiGLM: a Pro-plan head-to-head against Claude Pro lands on the cheaper tier winning — "The cheapest Claude plan running its small model outperformed a more expensive Z.ai plan." / "z.ai coding plan is in an awkward place, despite the model not being bad at all." source ↗ | ||||||
| GLM Coding Maxi — Quarterly: -20% · Yearly: -30% — Off-peak (outside Mon–Fri 14:00–18:00 UTC+8): model usage billed at 50% of the standard credit rateLegacy GLM-5.2/5.1 auto-routes to GLM-5.3; GLM-4.7 requests auto-route to GLM-5.3-Flash140,000 Credits / 7 days (14× Lite) · 28,000 Credits / 5 hours | $168.00 | GLM-5.3GLM-5.3-Flash | Many tools ↗allowlist | 140,000 Credits / 7 days (14× Lite) · 28,000 Credits / 5 hours | 04 Oct | Subscribe↗ |
2026-10-16 · r/ZaiGLM: single commenter: the Max-versus-multiple-subs arithmetic is called out as unverifiable on the providers' side — "most coding plans are many things, transparent they are not." source ↗ | ||||||
Value snapshot · GLM-5.3 · typical shape · req / $1
One dollar on Z.ai buys 1.1× fewer GLM-5.3 requests than the best plan we track (369 vs 396 Req/$1). Exact-priced flagship only — no proxy claims in the headline.
Best for
Recent changes
What changed for Z.ai subscribers
5 events in the last 90 days — 0 worse, 2 better.
- Policy15 Sept 2026
docs.z.ai/devpack/overview (Credit Calculation) publishes the time-of-day credit rule — "During off-peak hours, model usage is charged at 50% of the standard credit rate" with peak hours Monday to Friday, 14:00–18:00 SGT (UTC+8) — and it is now stored on the three plan rows as an off-peak tooltip. The 50% covers model usage only (MCP calls keep their own multipliers); no price, credit allowance or calculator rate changed.
Verified 2026-09-15 · source
- Models31 Aug 2026
Z.AI GLM Coding Lite/Pro/Max supported models updated: GLM-5.3-Flash (multimodal flash tier, 2.3/0.56/8 multipliers) added; GLM-5.3-Flash replaces GLM-5-Turbo; GLM-4.7 requests now auto-route to GLM-5.3-Flash.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source
- Policy28 Aug 2026
Site correction: GLM Coding plans are restricted to an official allowlist of supported tools, not any tool. Z.AI docs state users may not use subscription benefits for tools or scenarios outside the supported scope.
Verified 2026-08-28 · source
- Models16 Aug 2026
Z.AI GLM Coding Lite/Pro/Max supported models updated to GLM-5.3 + GLM-5-Turbo + GLM-4.7; previous-model requests (GLM-5.2/5.1) are automatically routed to GLM-5.3 at the same credit multipliers.
Verified 2026-08-16 · source
- Ceiling08 Aug 2026
Z.AI GLM Coding limits confirmed as credit windows with dynamic 5-hour refresh and weekly reset.
Verified 2026-08-08 · source
Alternatives
Providers with overlapping model catalogs
Flagship rank · GLM-5.3: #24 (Max config) on the Agent Arena agent leaderboard — 1.78% net improvement (board fetched 2026-10-19).
Common questions
Which Z.ai plan is cheapest?
Z.ai GLM Coding Lite at $18/mo. The cheapest plan is not always the best value — compare Req/$1 in the calculator.
How many plans does Z.ai offer?
3 tiers tracked, 3 currently active. Every tier is in the plans table below with its price, models and usage ceiling.
What is Z.ai?
Z.ai is the AI lab formerly known as Zhipu, based in Beijing. It develops the GLM family of models, including the open-weight GLM-5.3 flagship, and sells access through the GLM Coding Plan and its API.
Is GLM-5.2 open-weight?
Yes — GLM-5.2 is Z.ai’s open-weight model — the previous flagship, superseded by GLM-5.3 — so it can be self-hosted or used through any provider endpoint that serves it, including BYOK plans on TokenPlans.
Can I use the GLM Coding Plan with any agent?
Yes — the plan exposes an OpenAI-compatible endpoint with no CLI lock, so it works with OpenCode, pi, Cursor, Cline, or any agent that supports custom endpoints.
Which models does the GLM Coding Plan include?
The tracked tiers list the GLM-5.3 flagship together with GLM-5-Turbo and GLM-4.7; GLM-5.2/5.1 requests auto-route to GLM-5.3. Z.ai publishes the per-plan model lists in the GLM Coding Plan docs.
How does GLM Coding Plan billing work?
Plans are credit-budget subscriptions: usage draws from rolling 5-hour and weekly credit windows, with off-peak hours costing less. The calculator models the published credit structure as a proxy estimate.
Who is the GLM Coding Plan for?
Developers who want the GLM open-weight family directly from its creator, with BYOK access to any agent and an off-peak discount window.
Links
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Newsletter
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A plain weekly digest of every tracked price move, ceiling change and model-list update — pulled straight from the dated changelog ledger, with a one-line “worth switching?” note on each. Free. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.