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Use Z.ai Flash API pricing: choose the verified free models

Choose the verified free Z.ai Flash API models and separate paid names, tools, coding plans and unresolved account limits.

Publisher: SmartDealIndex. Updated and cited sources checked: 07/10/2026. Independent reviewer not yet confirmed.

Outbound links in this article are ordinary official URLs. SmartDealIndex has not added personal affiliate tracking for these programs. Any future commission-bearing links will be clearly disclosed. Affiliate disclosure.

Z.ai’s official pricing page, reviewed on 7 October 2026, lists free input and output for GLM-4.7-Flash, GLM-4.5-Flash and GLM-4.6V-Flash. That finding concerns specified API models. It does not establish a dollar credit balance, unlimited monthly quota, free built-in tools or free access to every model named Flash. Publisher: SmartDealIndex. This is a document-based guide; no account or API request was created. Independent editorial review is pending. Links are ordinary official URLs.

Check the complete model name

The official pricing table distinguishes text and vision models and shows separate input and output columns. The reviewed free entries are:

Similar names have different prices. The same page lists paid entries such as GLM-4.7-FlashX and GLM-5.3-Flash. Selecting a model because its name contains Flash is insufficient. Inspect the exact identifier submitted by your application and confirm it corresponds to a free entry in the current table.

The table also labels cached storage on several paid models as temporarily free. That does not make their input or output inference free. Read the row and column together instead of treating any nearby Free label as the price for the whole model.

Free rate does not describe every account limit

The reviewed source establishes a pricing finding, not a numerical monthly quota. Rate limits, concurrency, account eligibility and any operational restrictions were not fully checked. Do not convert free pricing into a promise of unlimited tokens, an always-available service or a recurring cash grant.

The account-country list and exact payment requirements remain unverified. This research does not establish that every applicant can create a key without a card, phone check or other verification. It also does not establish a fixed expiry date or guarantee that the free pricing will remain unchanged. Recheck the official table when planning real usage.

Follow the official key-management route

The Quick Start documentation directs readers to the Z.ai platform to register or log in, create a key in API Keys management and top up if needed. The official key-management route was reachable publicly, but authenticated account screens were not inspected.

1. Read the current pricing table and write down the exact free model you intend to use.
2. Follow the official platform route and use genuine account information. No registration is performed on your behalf by SmartDealIndex.
3. Read the conditions presented to your account and confirm that the model is available to it.
4. Create and store your API key using the provider’s current instructions. Keep it out of public repositories, screenshots and shared documents.
5. Select the intended free model explicitly in the request configuration. Do not retain a paid example’s model merely because the example came from official documentation.
6. Start with a small original or synthetic input and inspect usage reporting before extending the workflow.

These steps describe a documented path, not verified approval or a tested request. If the account requires another arrangement or does not expose the expected model, keep that condition unresolved rather than creating additional accounts to evade it.

Avoid the paid default in examples

The captured Quick Start examples use a flagship model whose pricing row is paid. They demonstrate calling structure, not a free-model entitlement. Before adapting an example, inspect the selected model, endpoint, enabled tools and account billing context.

The documentation also distinguishes the dedicated endpoint configuration for a GLM Coding Plan. A paid coding subscription and the API pricing table are separate arrangements. Do not assume a subscription gives unrestricted API usage or that a free API model makes the subscription free. Use the provider’s current instructions for the route you actually intend to use.

This guide deliberately makes no claim that a specific request was executed successfully. For integration details, use the official API reference linked from Quick Start and the current model documentation. Confirm parameters against those sources instead of guessing an identifier from a display label.

Keep paid tools and media generation separate

The pricing page lists Web Search at US$0.01 per use. It also prices image generation, video generation, audio models and agents separately. A free text or vision model does not automatically make those operations free. Review the actual tools invoked by your workflow, including automatic tool choices or fallbacks configured by your own application.

For an initial text experiment, keep the scope simple enough to understand which model and tools were called. Record the input identifier, selected model, enabled features, request outcome and usage or billing entries observed. Do not publish performance scores or savings based on a request you have not actually made.

If you later permit model fallback, decide which paid options are acceptable and who can approve them. A fallback that changes the model can change the pricing basis even when the original route was free. Check the resulting configuration and usage before connecting production traffic.

Confirm rights and data handling separately

The pricing check does not establish commercial-use rights, output ownership or a confidentiality arrangement. Review the provider’s current terms and the permissions for your input before sending customer information or using generated text in a commercial deliverable. An API rate of zero does not answer those questions.

Use original or authorized material for a trial and keep an honest record of what you observed. For related benefit types, the Scaleway startup guide describes application-reviewed cloud vouchers, while the global overview separates grants, allowances and affiliate programs.

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