Zhipu BigModel Open Platform
Officially listedZhipu AI's official MaaS platform for GLM models, offering OpenAI-compatible APIs, fine-tuning, coding plans, and private deployment for developers and enterprises.
Zhipu BigModel Open Platform
Zhipu BigModel Open Platform (bigmodel.cn) is Zhipu AI's official one-stop LLM API/MaaS platform (listed on HKEX as 02513.HK, originating from Tsinghua's KEG lab, one of China's "AI Six Little Dragons"), serving developers and enterprises that need domestic Chinese models, with H1 2026 revenue of RMB 954 million, up 399.7% year over year. Its motto, "Beyond models, building trustworthy intelligence," and its OpenAI compatibility — just change the base_url to migrate — make it the first-party official outlet for the full GLM model family.
Core Capabilities
- GLM flagship API: First-party access to GLM-5.3 (No. 1 domestic model on the LMArena text leaderboard, #5 globally) and the MIT-licensed open-source GLM-5.3-Flash, with 1M context
- Full-pipeline MaaS: Model invocation, fine-tuning, deployment, evaluation, web-connected search, knowledge bases, and an agent marketplace covered in one place
- Full multimodal lineup: GLM-Image, GLM-OCR, GLM-ASR/TTS, CogVideoX video, and more, all uniformly available
- GLM Coding Plan: Works with Cursor, Claude Code, and 20+ coding tools, from ¥118/month
- Low-cost entry: Permanently free Flash tier plus 20 million bonus tokens for new users completing identity verification
Use Cases Suitable for enterprises that need strong Chinese and coding capability and compliant deployment on domestic compute, and for developers who want low-cost access to top open-source models. Accounts are not interoperable with the consumer Zhipu Chat (chatglm.cn) or the overseas Z.ai — buyers need to be clear about which line they are purchasing.
Unique Advantages Model strength is cross-validated by third-party leaderboards (an Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index of 60 puts it in the global T1), and GLM-5.3-Flash offers high value at roughly 1/40 the price of Opus 4.8. As a HK-listed company, its scale data is highly transparent, making it among the most verifiable domestic platforms.
Editor's Review As the core API outlet of China's "first LLM stock," its capability and credibility sit in the domestic first tier. Caveats: peak-hour rate limiting and slow responses, a poor Lite-tier experience, and a reputation for repeated price hikes; also, third-party aggregator sites like bigmodel.org are not official — stick to the official domains bigmodel.cn / open.bigmodel.cn / z.ai.
Pricing
### 💰 定价模式：付费（按 token 计费 + Coding Plan 订阅） **起步价**：按量付费（旗舰文本模型约 ¥8/百万输入 tokens 起）；新用户实名认证赠送 2000 万 tokens #### 主要方案 - **API 按 token 计费**：GLM-5.x 旗舰约 ¥4-8/百万输入、¥18-28/百万输出，缓存命中价更低，Batch API 约 5 折；GLM-4.7-Flash / 4.6V-Flash 永久免费 - **GLM Coding Plan（个人）**：Lite ¥118/月、Pro ¥538/月（6 倍额度）、Max ¥1078/月（14 倍额度）；季付 8 折、年付 7 折，适配 20+ 主流编程工具 - **企业服务**：私有实例 ¥100-175/算力单元/天；云端私有化年套餐 ¥50 万-110 万起；本地部署另议 #### 试用/其他信息 新用户赠 2000 万 tokens（约 3 个月有效）；官网体验中心可免 Key 试用；Coding Plan 每日限量发放 GLM-5.3-Flash 体验卡。 — Visit website
FAQ
Is Zhipu BigModel Open Platform (bigmodel.cn) free?
It is not purely free (is_free=false). The platform is a B2B commercial API billed by tokens; new users completing identity verification get a 20-million-token trial pack (valid about 3 months), and models like GLM-4.7-Flash/4.6V-Flash have a permanently free tier used as a trial hook.
What can Zhipu BigModel Open Platform be used for?
It gives developers and enterprises API access to the full GLM model family, fine-tuning, cloud/private deployment, evaluation, web-connected search, knowledge base retrieval, and agent development, with OpenAI-compatible interfaces that plug into 20+ coding tools like Cursor and Claude Code.
Is bigmodel.org the official website of Zhipu BigModel Open Platform?
No. Zhipu's official domains are only bigmodel.cn (mainland console/API), open.bigmodel.cn (API), and z.ai (international site); bigmodel.org is a third-party API aggregation/resale site unaffiliated with Zhipu — verify against official domains and the registered company, and beware SEO traffic hijacking.
How does Zhipu BigModel Open Platform differ from Zhipu Chat and Z.ai?
They are three distinct product faces of the same company: bigmodel.cn is the MaaS API platform for developers/enterprises; Zhipu Chat (chatglm.cn) is the consumer AI chat assistant; Z.ai (chat.z.ai) is the international entry point for overseas users. Accounts, balances, and subscription credits are not interchangeable among the three.
What's the difference between GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash on the platform?
GLM-5.3, released in August 2026, is the flagship, strengthened for long-horizon agents, software engineering, and terminal operations; GLM-5.3-Flash is an MIT-licensed lightweight multimodal base (320B-A18B, 1M context) priced at about 1/10 of 5.3, pitching "Frontier Intelligence, Flash Cost."
How much does the GLM Coding Plan cost on Zhipu BigModel Open Platform?
Personal Lite is ¥118/month, Pro ¥538/month (6x quota), Max ¥1078/month (14x quota); the team plan is ¥598/month per seat; quarterly billing is 20% off, yearly 30% off. Credits are consumed by token usage, and prices have risen sharply versus the early-2026 version.
Which scenarios fit GLM models on the platform?
Agent/coding scenarios demanding strong Chinese and code capability, enterprises needing private or domestic-compute-compliant deployment, and developers doing low-cost experimentation and evaluation. Note peak-hour rate limiting and slow responses — evaluate before production use.