# ZCode Pricing: Pro $80/mo, Max $168 (30% Promo Live)

ZCode GLM Coding Plan: $18–$168/mo standard pricing, 30% promo drops to $12.60–$117.60, the cheapest agentic coding subscription out there.

By Neomanex. Updated 2026-10-07.

Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan — the subscription that powers [ZCode](/directory/zcode) IDE and third-party coding tools with GLM-5.2 — has standard list pricing of Lite $18/mo, Pro $80/mo, and Max $168/mo. A 30% introductory promotional discount is currently live, bringing monthly costs down to $12.60, $56, and $117.60 respectively ([Z.ai](https://z.ai/subscribe), Aug 2026). Even at standard rates, ZCode remains the cheapest agentic coding subscription among frontier competitors.

## What happened

The GLM Coding Plan's pricing page now clearly shows standard rates alongside an active 30% introductory promotion. The standard prices are the published list rates — the promo is a time-limited launch incentive.

| Plan | Promo Price (30% off) | Standard Price | Savings |
|------|----------------------|----------------|---------|
| Lite | $12.60/mo | $18/mo | $5.40/mo |
| Pro | $56/mo | $80/mo | $24/mo |
| Max | $117.60/mo | $168/mo | $50.40/mo |

Yearly billing locks in the same 30% discount annually, bringing annual costs to $151.20 (Lite), $672 (Pro), and $1,411.20 (Max). All three tiers include the same model lineup — GLM-5.2, GLM-5-Turbo, GLM-4.7, and GLM-4.5-air — with differences in quota size, MCP allowance, and priority during peak demand.

The GLM-5.2 API remains at $1.40/$4.40 per 1M tokens for direct API access ([AI Pricing Guru](https://www.aipricing.guru/z-ai-subscription-pricing/), Aug 2026). Developers who need flexibility rather than a subscription can still access the same model on a pay-as-you-go basis.

## Why ZCode pricing matters

At standard pricing — Pro $80/mo, Max $168/mo — ZCode's competitive position shifts somewhat from the earlier promotional framing but still undercuts Western competitors:

| Tier | ZCode (Standard) | ZCode (Promo) | [Cursor](/directory/cursor) Pro | [Claude Code](/directory/claude-code) Max |
|------|-------------------|---------------|----------------|-----------------|
| Entry | Lite $18/mo | $12.60/mo | Pro $20/mo | — |
| Mid | Pro $80/mo | $56/mo | Pro+ $20+/mo+ | — |
| High | Max $168/mo | $117.60/mo | Ultra $20+/mo+ | Max $200/mo |

A few things to note about the comparison:

- **Cursor Pro at $20/mo** includes usage-based overage pricing — heavy agent-mode users pay significantly more than the sticker price. Cursor's Pro+ tier is $20/mo+ and Ultra is $20/mo+, with overages scaling with usage ([Cursor pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing)).
- **Claude Code Max at $200/mo** is a flat-rate subscription for Anthropic's terminal agent. For pure coding workloads where GLM-5.2 quality meets your bar, ZCode Max at $168 (or $117.60 promo) is ~16% cheaper at standard rates and ~41% cheaper at promo rates.
- **At promo rates**, ZCode's price advantage is dramatic: Pro at $56/mo is less than a third of what heavy Cursor agent-mode usage can cost, and Max at $117.60/mo is roughly 41% cheaper than Claude Code Max.

## What changes for you

**If you're on annual billing:** You're locked in at your plan's rate until renewal. Check whether you're on promo or standard pricing.

**If you're on monthly billing:** If you subscribed during the 30% promo window, enjoy the discount while it lasts — this is an introductory offer with no publicly stated end date.

**If you're considering ZCode:** Evaluate against the standard prices ($18/$80/$168) as your baseline, since the 30% promo is time-limited. Compare against [Cursor](/directory/cursor) ($20/mo Pro, with usage-based overages) and [Claude Code](/directory/claude-code) ($200/mo Max) — ZCode remains the budget leader at every tier, but the gap narrows at standard rates.

**If you need to cut costs:** The GLM-5.2 API at $1.40/$4.40 per 1M tokens may be cheaper than a subscription depending on your usage volume. Calculate your monthly token consumption before switching.

## FAQ

**Is the 30% promo a permanent discount?** No. Z.ai shows this as a "New" promotional discount with no publicly stated end date. There is no publicly stated end date on the subscribe page, but promotional pricing is inherently time-limited.

**Did the quota change?** The quota allocations — credits per week, MCP calls per month — are consistent across both promo and standard pricing. The only difference is the monthly price.

**Is ZCode still worth it at standard pricing?** For developers who use GLM-5.2 heavily and value the agent-first IDE experience, yes. ZCode Lite at $18/mo undercuts Cursor Pro at $20/mo. At the high end, ZCode Max at $168/mo is ~16% cheaper than Claude Code Max at $200/mo. The price advantage is real but narrower at standard rates — the 30% promo is where ZCode's value proposition really shines.

**How does the API compare to the subscription?** The GLM-5.2 API at $1.40/$4.40 per 1M tokens is pay-as-you-go. If you fire off occasional calls from a script, the API is cheaper. If you live inside an agent IDE for hours a day, the subscription caps your bill and almost always wins on $/token. Use the [subscription vs API calculator](https://www.aipricing.guru/subscription-vs-api/) to model your break-even point.

Canonical: https://neomanex.com/news/zcode-post-promo-pricing-aug-2026