Our pickGLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI)
Microsoft Copilot
Tier-list head-to-head. GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) takes the A-tier slot — here's the breakdown.
Spec sheet
| GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) | Microsoft Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | A-tierwin | B-tier |
| Overall score | 8.0 / 10win | 7.5 / 10 |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Best for | Teams that need genuine MIT-licensed frontier open weights with no commercial strings. | Users already deep in the Microsoft ecosystem who want free GPT-4 access with web search built in. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-04-17 | 2026-04-21 |
Head-to-head
Rated 1-10 on the same rubric across all 130 tools we cover.
Vibe check
How each tool actually sounds when you talk to it.
“The Z.ai research model”
“The work-safe assistant”
What you'll pay
Look past the headline number -- entry-tier limits drive most cost surprises.
Free tier available
Free tier available
GLM-5.1 (744B MoE / 40B active) benchmarks — Microsoft Copilot has no published benchmarks
| Benchmark | Description | Score |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-Bench Pro | 58.4% | |
| MMLU-Pro | Harder multi-subject reasoning | 81.2% |
| GPQA Diamond | Graduate-level science questions | 74.5% |
| HumanEval | Python code generation | 89.1% |
| SWE-Bench Verified | 64.2% | |
| BFCL (function calling) | 88% |
The decision
Use-case anchors and category strengths, side by side.
Teams that need genuine MIT-licensed frontier open weights with no commercial strings. Especially strong for agentic workflows and vision (GLM-4.6V).
Visit GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI)Users already deep in the Microsoft ecosystem who want free GPT-4 access with web search built in.
Visit Microsoft CopilotBottom line
GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) edges out Microsoft Copilot by 0.5 points (8.0 vs 7.5) -- a A-tier vs B-tier split that's narrow but real. Not a blowout; both belong on a shortlist. The score gap shows up most clearly in the categories that matter for GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI)'s strengths, so if those categories are your priority, the lead translates.
Pricing-wise, both tools have a free tier (GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) starts $0, Microsoft Copilot starts $0), so you can test either without committing. Compare what each free tier actually unlocks -- usage caps, model access, and feature gates differ a lot more than the headline price suggests, especially as both vendors have tightened limits in 2026.
By use case: pick GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) when teams that need genuine mit-licensed frontier open weights with no commercial strings. Pick Microsoft Copilot when users already deep in the microsoft ecosystem who want free gpt-4 access with web search built in. The two tools aren't fighting for the same person -- they're aiming at adjacent jobs that occasionally overlap. If you're squarely in GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI)'s lane, the tier-list ranking and the use-case fit point the same direction; if you're in Microsoft Copilot's lane, the score gap matters less than the fit.
Bottom line: GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) is the safer default for most readers, but Microsoft Copilot is competitive enough that the tie-breaker is your specific workload, not the spec sheet.
Keep digging
Full GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) review
Tier A · 8.0/10
Full Microsoft Copilot review
Tier B · 7.5/10
GLM / Z.ai (Zhipu AI) alternatives
Other tools in this lane
Microsoft Copilot alternatives
Other tools in this lane
Built from our daily AI-tool sweep, last touched April 21, 2026. Honest tier-list reviews — no affiliate-link pieces disguised as advice. See the rubric or how we review.