kitio.aiDeepSeek vs Z.ai
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. DeepSeek starts at Free and Z.ai starts at Free. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Deep-thinking mode
- Web search
- File uploads
- Mobile apps
- Open-weight models
- GLM model choice
- Thinking mode
- Web search
- Slide and web page generation
- File uploads
| Feature | DeepSeek | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Free chat app from DeepSeek with strong reasoning and coding models | Free chatbot running Zhipu's GLM models for chat, code and slides |
| Category | Chat assistants | Chat assistants |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | DeepSeek | Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) |
| Based in | China | China |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
|
Both offer: Web search, File uploads.
Pricing compared
DeepSeek starts at Free and Z.ai starts at Free. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
DeepSeek
- Completely free to use
- Strong math and coding answers
- Shows its reasoning steps
- Banned on some government devices
- Censors politically sensitive topics
- Servers can be busy at peak times
Z.ai
- Free access to a frontier-class model
- Good at building small web apps
- Open-weight models behind it
- Less known outside developer circles
- Data handled by a Chinese company
- Fewer integrations than big rivals
Which one should you choose?
Choose DeepSeek if you want:
- Completely free to use
- Strong math and coding answers
- Shows its reasoning steps
Watch out: banned on some government devices.
Choose Z.ai if you want:
- Free access to a frontier-class model
- Good at building small web apps
- Open-weight models behind it
Watch out: less known outside developer circles.
DeepSeek vs Z.ai FAQ
What is the difference between DeepSeek and Z.ai?
DeepSeek: Free chat app from DeepSeek with strong reasoning and coding models. Z.ai: Free chatbot running Zhipu's GLM models for chat, code and slides. Both are chat assistants tools.
Is DeepSeek or Z.ai cheaper?
DeepSeek starts at Free and Z.ai starts at Free. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do DeepSeek and Z.ai have free plans?
DeepSeek: Yes, fully free. Z.ai: Yes, fully free.
Who makes DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is made by DeepSeek, based in China.
Who makes Z.ai?
Z.ai is made by Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI), based in China.
Which should I choose, DeepSeek or Z.ai?
Choose DeepSeek if you value completely free to use and strong math and coding answers. Choose Z.ai if you value free access to a frontier-class model and good at building small web apps.