Qingyan / Z.ai chat
This page is a product map from official product pages, the paid-service agreement, store listings, and model posts. Claude.ai analog.
It is not GLM Coding Plan and not ZCode. The coding subscription is one row on the learning map.
Goals and non-goals
Audience: frontend engineers. You need a browser or the Qingyan app.
Goals: say what the two official chat doors are, what they claim to do, and where accounts / billing stop.
Non-goals: Coding Plan install, API SDKs, invented daily caps / token limits / current membership prices, model internals (see Learn LLM).
Prerequisites
- You can open chatglm.cn or chat.z.ai
- China surface: whatever sign-in Qingyan shows (phone / WeChat, etc.). International surface: whatever Z.ai shows
- No git checkout. No API key
Learning objectives
- Pick Qingyan vs Z.ai
- Send the first message and recognize official chips
- Know which account holds membership, and why open-platform credit is not Qingyan membership
What it is
One chat job, two official doors. Official "try it online" wording (GLM-5.2 research post):
| Door | Official label | URL |
|---|---|---|
| China | Qingyan app / web | chatglm.cn |
| International | Z.ai | chat.z.ai |
Clients (only what official pages name):
| Client | Source |
|---|---|
| Web | chatglm.cn, chat.z.ai |
| Official app | chatglm.cn/download; App Store Qingyan |
| Browser extension | Chrome Web Store "智谱清言：ChatGLM & AutoGLM" |
There is no official "install Qingyan as a repo CLI" path on these pages. Code in the thread is still chat, not a checkout agent.
Qingyan: open and talk
- Open chatglm.cn.
- Sign in. The paid-service agreement scopes the service to the chatglm.cn website and the Qingyan app (agreement §1.5).
- Ask in the box. The footer points at the user agreement and privacy policy.
Chips visible on the homepage on 2026-08-19:
| Chip | What the official page actually shows |
|---|---|
| Agent | Homepage positioning is an Agent that delivers results |
| 研究报告 (research report) | Homepage entry |
| PPT制作 (slides) | Homepage entry |
| 数据分析 (data analysis) | Homepage entry |
| GLM-5.2 / GLM-5.2快速 | Model names on the page; trust what your account can actually select |
The download page adds (chatglm.cn/download): chat, writing, programming, understanding images and documents; "chat, or call tools for complex tasks."
Paid-agreement kinds of benefits (§1.6, §4.1 — not quota numbers):
- Model-related benefits
- Agent benefits
- Qingying video generation
- Video calls
- Larger cloud knowledge-base space
- More AI image-generation features
Counts, credits, and whether the SKU is still called VIP/SVIP live on the in-product membership page. The agreement says Zhipu may change benefits and prices; read the live service page.
The App Store listing also groups Q&A, writing, study, workplace, programming, and role-play. That is store copy, not a command list.
Browser extension
Official name: 智谱清言：ChatGLM & AutoGLM (Chrome Web Store, publisher zhipuextension). Store copy: sidebar Q&A, page summary, page chat, selection explain/summarize/translate, writing helper, checked-text summary, on-site advanced search. Plugin policy: chatglm.cn/advanced-authpolicy.
Z.ai: international chat
- Open chat.z.ai or z.ai (top nav Chat).
- Sign in as the page asks. The z.ai top nav also has Chat / API / Coding Plan / Contact / Docs (z.ai/company). Chat is this page. Coding Plan and Docs are not the Qingyan tutorial.
Official description:
Meet Z.ai, the AI assistant powered by GLM-5.2. Build websites, write code, handle long-horizon tasks, and get instant answers.
Chips visible on 2026-08-19: Magic Design, Full-Stack, Write Code.
Official blog lines that survive a source check:
- glm-4.5: pick the model on Z.ai to chat; the platform supports artifacts, presentation slides, and full-stack development.
- glm-5.2: "Chat with GLM-5.2 on Z.ai". The same post puts Coding Plan / ZCode on a different path.
Legal text: Terms of Use (JINGSHENG HENGXING TECHNOLOGY PTE.LTD). That document covers the platform / API. Do not read China Qingyan membership rules out of it.
Accounts and paid features (agreement text only)
Traps that matter, from the Qingyan paid-service agreement (effective 2026-05-21):
| Rule | Official point |
|---|---|
| Benefits follow the account | If you have several Qingyan accounts, benefits go to the account you were signed into when you paid. Records do not move across accounts (§3.1, §3.2.2) |
| Not the same as the open platform | Qingyan membership and other Zhipu paid products ("including but not limited to the Zhipu AI open platform") are independent. Overlap can stack; no refund for the overlap (§4.4) |
| Price is on the page | Fees, discounts, and payment methods can change; trust the service page (§4.7) |
| Default: no refund | Paid services are not returnable / cashable. Duplicate charges or official technical failure: support appeal (§4.5, §4.8.1) |
| Devices differ | App version, device, and OS can change which benefits you actually see (§4.6) |
The App Store has listed IAPs (auto-renew month, month card, Qingying agent, etc.). SKUs move. Do not treat one day's screenshot as the price list. Check the App Store page or the in-product membership page.
Do not assume Qingyan membership = Z.ai login = Coding Plan quota. Official pages do not say that.
Nearby surfaces (do not mix them)
| Surface | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Qingyan / Z.ai chat | This page | chatglm.cn / chat.z.ai |
| GLM Coding Plan | Subscription for coding tools | z.ai/subscribe — no install steps here |
| ZCode | Official coding tool | zcode.z.ai/cn |
| AutoGLM / AutoClaw | Report assistant / local client | autoglm.zhipuai.cn |
| API | Model HTTP APIs | docs.z.ai, docs.bigmodel.cn |
Common pitfalls
- Opening z.ai/subscribe or bigmodel.cn/glm-coding and thinking you configured Qingyan web.
- Buying on account A, signing into the web as B, then assuming the subscription vanished. The agreement says benefits do not migrate.
- Treating open-platform / Coding Plan balance as Qingyan turns. The agreement says the paid products are independent.
- Treating HTML or a script in the thread as a commit in your repo.
- Copying third-party "50 turns / day" or a blog RMB price as official spec.
Official docs
| Page | Use |
|---|---|
| chatglm.cn | Qingyan product |
| chatglm.cn/download | App / client entry |
| Paid-service agreement | Membership, credits, account rules |
| chat.z.ai | Z.ai chat |
| z.ai | International top nav (Chat / API / Coding Plan) |
| zhipuai.cn/zh | First-party product rail |
| GLM-5.2 research post | Official pair of "try it online" URLs |
| docs.z.ai | API, not a Qingyan how-to |