Krux
February 17, 2026
Zhipu AI Slaps Up To 100% Price Hike on GLM-5
Published: February 17, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Updated: February 17, 2026 at 12:25 AM
100-word summary
Zhipu AI just launched its flagship GLM-5 model overseas and immediately hit users with steep price increases. Domestic GLM packages jumped 30% effective February 12, while existing subscribers dodged the bullet at current rates. Overseas users got walloped harder: Coding Plan prices rose 30-60%, and API fees skyrocketed 67-100%. The company blames surging demand and compute costs. This marks a turning point for China's LLM market, where providers are ditching the race-to-the-bottom pricing wars. As Chinese AI giants shift to tiered pricing strategies, the era of dirt-cheap models appears officially over.
What happened
Zhipu AI just launched its flagship GLM-5 model overseas and immediately hit users with steep price increases. Domestic GLM packages jumped 30% effective February 12, while existing subscribers dodged the bullet at current rates. Overseas users got walloped harder: Coding Plan prices rose 30-60%, and API fees skyrocketed 67-100%. The company blames surging demand and compute costs. This marks a turning point for China's LLM market, where providers are ditching the race-to-the-bottom pricing wars.
Why it matters
As Chinese AI giants shift to tiered pricing strategies, the era of dirt-cheap models appears officially over.