z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI, rebranded in 2025) offers one of the best value propositions in AI coding: $30/year for GLM 4.7 access with full API compatibility.
What You Get
The $30/year Creator Project includes:
- GLM 4.7 - 73.8% SWE-bench, chain-of-thought reasoning
- GLM-4 - General-purpose model for everyday tasks
- GLM-Image & CogView-4 - Image generation capabilities
- Full API access - OpenAI-compatible API for any IDE
- 10-minute fine-tuning - Quick model customization
Why It’s The Best Value Tier
At $2.50/month (billed annually as $30), z.ai costs less than a coffee while delivering:
- Year-round access without managing free trials
- Better performance than many $20/month subscriptions
- API freedom (use with VS Code, Cursor, or any OpenAI-compatible tool)
- Singapore-based servers (stronger privacy than most alternatives)
VS Code Integration
Configure z.ai as your OpenAI-compatible provider:
- Get API key from z.ai dashboard
- Set base URL to
https://api.z.ai/v1 - Use with Continue.dev, Kilo Code, or any OpenAI-compatible extension
The Trade-offs
- Annual commitment required (no monthly option)
- Chinese company (though Singapore-hosted) may concern some users
- Not quite frontier - GLM 4.7 at 73.8% SWE-bench vs Kimi k2.5 at 76.8%
When To Choose z.ai
Choose z.ai when:
- You’ve exhausted free trials but want sustainable access
- $20/month for Claude Pro feels too expensive
- You need API access for IDE integration
- Privacy matters (Singapore > US/EU for some threat models)
Skip z.ai when:
- Free trials are still working for you (max those out first!)
- You need the absolute best reasoning (use free Antigravity Opus 4.5)
- You prefer monthly billing flexibility
Comparison
| Provider | Cost | Model | API | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z.ai | $30/yr | GLM 4.7 | ✅ | Year-round value |
| Claude Pro | $20/mo | All Claude | ❌ | Official Anthropic |
| Kimi API | $3/1M tok | Kimi k2.5 | ✅ | Pay-as-you-go |
Verdict
z.ai is the smartest upgrade path after exhausting free trials. At $2.50/month, it undercuts every subscription while delivering 73%+ SWE-bench performance. The API access means you’re not locked into any specific IDE or workflow.
Start here: z.ai Creator Project
Last updated: February 1, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change—verify at z.ai.