Tongyi Qianwen vs Zhipu GLM Coding Plan
Compare Tongyi Qianwen and Zhipu GLM Coding Plan: free credits, features, and ratings. Which one is right for you?
Category
LLM
Coding Assistant
Rating
β 4
β 3.5
Free Credits
2.5 Max generates watermark-free images and videos for free
4.7 undefined
Refresh Period
one-time
unlimited
Resolution
N/A
N/A
Watermark
No
No
Commercial Use
No
Yes
Paid From
API $0.12/million tokens
Lite $30/quarter (~$10/mo)
Tongyi Qianwen
Alibaba's model family, from lightweight 0.5B to flagship 235B. Qwen3 series is the all-rounder among open-source models. Free to use, cheap API. Supports multimodal (text, image, video, code).
Pros
- βGenerous new user credits
- βAffordable API
- βAlibaba ecosystem
- βStrong multimodal
Cons
- βAverage creativity
- βReasoning not as good as DeepSeek
Key Features
Qwen3 full series open sourceMultimodal support (text/image/video/code)0.5B to 235B multiple sizes200K context windowTool calling capabilityAgent framework support
Zhipu GLM Coding Plan
Zhipu's AI coding subscription paired with ZCode IDE. Free models available (GLM-4.7-Flash, GLM-4.5-Flash). Paid tiers: Lite ~$10/mo, Pro ~$30/mo, Max ~$80/mo (quarterly billing). Compatible with 20+ coding tools. Subscribers get 1.5x quota in ZCode.
Pros
- βFree models truly unlimited
- βGLM-5.1 flagship coding model
- βWorks with 20+ coding tools (Claude Code/Cursor/Cline etc)
- βFree MCP tools with subscription (vision/search/reader)
- β1.5x quota for subscribers in ZCode
- βEasy payment via Alipay in China
Cons
- βQuarterly billing only, no monthly
- βFlash models lack depth for complex tasks
- βGLM-5 requires Pro tier
- βPrices increased 30%+, no first-purchase discount
Key Features
Unlimited free Flash modelsZCode 3.0 coding tool (self-developed Agent)Multi-model: GLM-5.1/5-Turbo/4.7/4.6OpenAI/Claude API compatibleFree vision/search/reader MCP toolsWorks with Claude Code/Cursor/Cline/Codex CLI and 20+ tools