The GLM Coding Plan is a subscription package from Z.AI (ZhipuAI) designed specifically for AI-powered coding. It provides access to GLM-5.1, GLM-5-Turbo, GLM-4.7, and GLM-4.5-Air models through mainstream coding tools including Claude Code, Cline, Roo Code, Kilo Code, OpenCode, Crush, Goose, and OpenClaw. Starting at $18/month, it delivers significantly higher usage quotas than standard API plans — approximately 15–30× the monthly subscription fee in API-equivalent value.
Free Tier
LimitedNo free tier — minimum $18/month for the Lite plan. However, the value proposition is strong: the Lite plan offers ~3× Claude Pro quota at a comparable or lower price, with 5-hour rolling resets meaning you are never permanently locked out mid-day. GLM-5.1's Opus-tier quality makes this a compelling alternative to Claude Max for cost-conscious power users.
No free tier. Three paid plans: Lite ($18/mo), Pro (price not listed on scraped pages), and Max. Each plan has a 5-hour rolling quota and a 7-day weekly quota. Quota resets 5 hours after consumption — the system never charges your account balance when quota runs out.
What's included
Lite Plan — 5-hour limit
Approx. 3× the usage quota of Claude Pro. Each prompt invokes the model 15–20 times.
Lite Plan — weekly limit
Resets on a 7-day cycle from subscription date.
Pro Plan — 5-hour limit
Approx. 5× the Lite plan.
Pro Plan — weekly limit
Max Plan — 5-hour limit
Approx. 4× the Pro plan.
Max Plan — weekly limit
GLM-5.1 & GLM-5-Turbo usage multiplier
Limited-time promo: 1× during off-peak hours until end of April 2026.
MCP — Web Search & Web Reader (Lite)
MCP — Web Search & Web Reader (Pro)
MCP — Web Search & Web Reader (Max)
Vision Understanding MCP
Not a separate quota — counted against standard prompts.
Supported tools
Cannot be used outside these designated tools. API calls are billed separately.
Models available
Default mapping: Opus → GLM-4.7, Sonnet → GLM-4.7, Haiku → GLM-4.5-Air. Switch to GLM-5.1 manually in settings.
How long until you run out?
Real-world estimates for typical developer usage.
Lite Plan — light daily coding
~400 prompts/week80 prompts per 5-hour window, resetting throughout the day. Weekly cap of 400 prompts is the binding constraint for heavy users.
Lite Plan using GLM-5.1 at peak hours
~27 prompts per 5-hour window (3× deduction)GLM-5.1 at peak hours costs 3× standard quota. 80 effective prompts ÷ 3 = ~27 real interactions before the window resets.
Pro Plan — active professional development
~2,000 prompts/week, 400 per 5-hour windowSufficient for full-time daily development across complex codebases.
Max Plan — heavy agentic sessions
~8,000 prompts/week, 1,600 per 5-hour windowDesigned for the highest-frequency, most complex engineering tasks.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +GLM-5.1 is Opus-class quality — strong reasoning and agentic coding performance
- +Generates 55+ tokens/second — faster than typical Claude API responses
- +Works across 12+ coding tools: Claude Code, Cline, Roo Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Grok CLI, and more
- +5-hour rolling quota reset — never permanently locked out mid-project
- +Quota exhaustion never charges your account balance — hard stops only
- +Includes Vision, Web Search, Web Reader, and Zread MCP on all plans
- +Monthly value equivalent to 15–30× the subscription price at API rates
- +Invite-a-friend credits program reduces effective cost further
- +No network restrictions or account bans per Z.AI claims
Cons
- −No free tier — minimum $18/month
- −GLM-5.1 costs 3× quota at peak hours (14:00–18:00 UTC+8), 2× off-peak
- −Lite weekly cap of 400 prompts is binding for heavy users
- −Quota-only model: cannot use API calls separately within the plan
- −Only works in designated coding tools — not for general API use or your own apps
- −Chinese company (ZhipuAI) — data privacy considerations for some enterprises
- −Pro and Max pricing not published on the scraped pages
Scores
Best for
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