Z.ai GLM-5 vs MiniMax M2.5 vs Kimi K2.5: Ultimate 2026 Comparison Guide
Z.ai GLM-5 vs MiniMax M2.5 vs Kimi K2.5: Ultimate 2026 Comparison Guide
In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-powered development tools, three coding assistant plans have emerged as top contenders for developers seeking intelligent programming assistance: Z.ai GLM Coding Plan, MiniMax Coding Plan, and Kimi K2.5. Each offers unique advantages targeting different developer segments—from hobbyists to enterprise teams.
2026 February Update
All three platforms have released new flagship models and adjusted pricing. This guide reflects the latest information as of February 13, 2026:
- Z.ai: New GLM-5 model (rivals Claude Opus 4.6), quarterly billing with discounts
- MiniMax: New M2.5 series with M2.5-lightning variant
- Kimi: K2.5 with visual agentic intelligence, updated membership tiers
This comprehensive guide breaks down their features, pricing, performance benchmarks, and integration capabilities to help you make an informed decision.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Z.ai GLM | MiniMax Coding | Kimi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $27/quarter (Lite) | $10/month (Starter) | ¥49/month (~$7) |
| Best Value Plan | $81/quarter (Pro) | $20/month (Plus) | ¥99/month (~$14) |
| Price Per 1M Input Tokens | ~$1.20 (GLM-5) | ~$0.20-0.30 | ~$0.60 |
| Primary Model | GLM-5 (New) | MiniMax M2.5 (New) | Kimi K2.5 (New) |
| SWE-Bench Score | 77.8 | Competitive | 85.9 (Intelligence Index) |
| Context Window | 128K tokens | 128K tokens | 256K tokens |
| Key Strength | Integration, Discounts | Speed, MoE efficiency | Multimodal, Massive context |
| Best For | Professional developers | High-frequency coding | Multimodal tasks, Enterprise |
Z.ai GLM Coding Plan: The Professional Developer's Choice
Overview and Philosophy
Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan has evolved significantly with the release of GLM-5, their most powerful coding model to date. The platform now offers quarterly billing with substantial discounts, making it attractive for committed developers who want access to top-tier AI coding capabilities at competitive prices.
New GLM-5 Model
GLM-5 is Z.ai's latest flagship model, achieving a 77.8 score on SWE-bench Verified, rivaling Claude Opus 4.6 (80.9). This represents a significant leap forward in coding capability compared to the previous GLM-4.7 model.
Pricing Structure (February 2026 Update)
Three Tiers with Quarterly Discounts:
| Plan | Monthly Equivalent | Quarterly Price | 2nd Quarter+ | Yearly (-30%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | ~$9/month | $27/quarter | $24.30/quarter | ~$75.60/year |
| Pro (Popular) | ~$27/month | $81/quarter | $72.90/quarter | ~$226.80/year |
| Max | ~$72/month | $216/quarter | $194.40/quarter | ~$604.80/year |
Key Pricing Changes:
- ❌ $3/month introductory pricing is no longer available
- ✅ Quarterly billing now standard with 10% discount from 2nd quarter
- ✅ Yearly subscriptions offer 30% discount
- ✅ Existing subscribers grandfathered at old rates
Usage Quotas:
- Lite: 3× usage of Claude Pro plan per 5-hour cycle
- Pro: 5× Lite plan usage (40-60% faster response times)
- Max: 4× Pro plan usage, guaranteed peak-hour performance
GLM-5 Model Availability
GLM-5 Access
- Pro and Max plans: Currently support GLM-5 ✅
- Lite plan: Will receive GLM-5 access after model resource iteration
- All plans support GLM-4.7 and legacy text models
- GLM-5 consumes more quota than historical models
Key Features
Core Capabilities:
- GLM-5 Deep Thinking Mode: Advanced reasoning with thinking-before-acting for complex coding tasks
- Vision Analyze (Pro/Max): Image understanding and analysis capabilities
- Web Search (Pro/Max): Built-in web search integration
- Web Reader MCP (Pro/Max): Fetch and process web content
- Zread MCP (Pro/Max): Advanced document reading capabilities
- Tool Streaming Output: Real-time progress updates during long operations
- Context Caching: Automatic caching reduces redundant API calls, saving costs
- Function Calling: Robust support for external tools and webhooks
- Multi-language Support: Built for global development teams
Integration Ecosystem:
Z.ai excels in IDE and tool integration with 20+ supported tools:
- Claude Code: Full support with codebase indexing and refactoring
- Cursor: Seamless integration for code generation and editing workflows
- Cline: Terminal-based coding assistance with shell command execution
- Roo Code: File-aware coding with project context understanding
- OpenCode: Compatible with GitHub Copilot alternatives
- Kilo Code: Advanced repository navigation and documentation search
- Grok CLI: Command-line interface for various use cases
Performance Benchmarks (2026)
Based on official benchmark data (updated 2026-2-12):
| Benchmark | Score | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 77.8 | Rivals Claude Opus 4.5 (80.9) |
| vs Gemini 3 Pro | 77.8 > 76.2 | Outperforms Google's latest |
| Terminal Bench 2.0 | Strong | Excellent for command-line workflows |
| Cost Efficiency | High | Context caching reduces consumption by ~75% |
Pros and Cons (Updated 2026)
Pros:
- ✅ GLM-5 Model Access: Top-tier coding performance rivaling Claude Opus
- ✅ Quarterly Discounts: Save 10% from 2nd quarter, 30% yearly
- ✅ Excellent Integration: Works with 20+ popular coding tools and IDEs
- ✅ Vision & Web Tools (Pro/Max): Advanced multimodal capabilities
- ✅ Priority Access (Pro/Max): First access to new models and features
- ✅ Guaranteed Performance (Max): Peak-hour performance guarantee
Cons:
- ⚠️ Higher Entry Price: $27/quarter entry vs previous $3/month
- ⚠️ GLM-5 Lite Delay: Lite users must wait for GLM-5 access
- ⚠️ Higher Quota Consumption: GLM-5 uses more quota than legacy models
- ⚠️ No Free Tier: Unlike Kimi, no free usage available
Who Should Choose Z.ai GLM?
Best For:
- Professional developers committed to quarterly/yearly plans
- Users who want GLM-5's top-tier coding performance
- Teams needing Vision Analyze and Web Search tools (Pro/Max)
- Developers using multiple coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, etc.)
- Users who prefer predictable subscription costs over pay-per-use
Avoid If:
- You need a free or ultra-low-cost option
- You only need occasional, light coding assistance
- You want immediate GLM-5 access on a budget (consider MiniMax instead)
- You prefer pay-per-use billing over subscriptions
MiniMax Coding Plan: The Speed & Efficiency Champion
Overview and Philosophy
MiniMax has updated its Coding Plan with the new MiniMax M2.5 series, offering exceptional speed and efficiency for high-frequency coding scenarios. The platform positions itself as delivering premium AI coding capabilities at approximately 1/10th the price of corresponding plans from providers like Claude.
New M2.5 Series Models
All Coding Plan packages now use the latest MiniMax M2.5 model, with a significant proportion of M2.5-lightning (same performance, faster speed) based on resource load. This multi-language programming expert comprehensively upgrades your complex programming experience.
Pricing Structure (February 2026)
Three Tiers:
| Plan | Price | Prompts per 5 Hours | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $10/month | 100 prompts | Entry-level developers |
| Plus | $20/month | 300 prompts (3× Starter) | Professional developers |
| Max | Contact sales | Equivalent to Claude Code Max 20× | Heavy users, teams |
Special Offer: Annual plans include 2 months free
Value Calculation:
- 1 "prompt" ≈ 15 requests to the model
- This provides substantially more value compared to token-based billing
- Actual consumption depends on project complexity and features like auto-accept suggestions
Model Support
MiniMax Coding Plan supports multiple models:
- MiniMax M2.5 (Primary, Latest)
- MiniMax M2.5-lightning (Same performance, faster speed)
- MiniMax M2.1 (Previous generation)
- MiniMax M2 (Legacy)
Key Features
Core Capabilities:
- M2.5-lightning Speed: Same performance as M2.5 but significantly faster response times
- MoE (Mixture-of-Experts) Architecture: 230B total parameters with ~10B active during inference
- Polyglot Mastery: Strong performance across multiple programming languages
- High Concurrency: Stable performance for commercial workloads
- Tool Using: Significant improvements in tool execution benchmarks (τ2-Bench, BrowseComp)
- Web Search & Image Understanding MCP: Built-in support for web browsing and image processing
Integration Ecosystem:
MiniMax emphasizes compatibility with agent frameworks:
- Claude Code: Enhanced agentic workflows with better planning
- Kilo Code: Repository-aware coding assistance
- Cline: Terminal integration with shell access
- Roo Code: File context management
- TRAE: Enhanced debugging workflows
- OpenCode: GitHub Copilot alternatives
- Droid: Android development support
- Codex CLI: Advanced CLI interfaces
Performance Benchmarks (M2.5 Series)
MiniMax M2.5 has demonstrated impressive results:
- SWE-Bench: ~65-80% single-attempt accuracy (verified)
- SWE-Bench Multilingual: +5.8% improvement over previous models
- Terminal Bench 2.0: +41% improvement in command-line coding
- Tool Use: Significant performance gains on web browsing benchmarks
- Cost Efficiency: MoE architecture reduces compute costs while maintaining quality
- Speed: M2.5-lightning offers faster response times at no quality trade-off
Pros and Cons (Updated 2026)
Pros:
- ✅ M2.5-lightning: Same quality, faster responses
- ✅ Extremely Cost-Effective: ~1/10th price of Claude equivalent plans
- ✅ Strong Coding Performance: Excellent benchmarks in software engineering tasks
- ✅ Flexible Pricing: Multiple tiers with 2 months free on annual plans
- ✅ Agent Framework Support: Works with all major AI coding frameworks
- ✅ High Performance: Competitive with models 2-3× its size
- ✅ Open Source Heritage: Self-hosting options available via MIT license
Cons:
- ⚠️ Variable M2.5-lightning Access: Lightning variant allocated based on resource load
- ⚠️ 5-Hour Rolling Window: Usage limits reset based on rolling window, not fixed periods
- ⚠️ Less Brand Recognition: Newer platform compared to established competitors
- ⚠️ Enterprise Features: May lack some advanced team collaboration features
Who Should Choose MiniMax?
Best For:
- Developers seeking the best value-to-performance ratio
- High-frequency coders who need fast response times
- Users who want M2.5-lightning's speed advantage
- Teams with variable usage patterns
- Budget-conscious professionals who need more than entry-level plans
Avoid If:
- You need guaranteed access to the fastest model tier (M2.5-lightning varies)
- You require enterprise-grade SLA guarantees
- You prefer fixed daily/weekly quotas over rolling windows
- You need extensive multimodal capabilities (consider Kimi instead)
Kimi: The Multimodal & Free Tier Leader
Overview and Philosophy
Kimi, developed by Moonshot AI, has evolved into a comprehensive AI platform with the new Kimi K2.5 model featuring visual agentic intelligence. Unique among the three platforms, Kimi offers a free tier with meaningful usage, making it accessible to everyone while providing premium features for paid subscribers.
K2.5 Visual Agentic Intelligence
Kimi K2.5 is Moonshot's most powerful model featuring native multimodal architecture supporting both visual and text input, thinking & non-thinking modes, and a massive 256K context window—the largest among the three platforms.
Pricing Structure (February 2026)
Five Membership Tiers:
| Tier | Monthly (RMB) | Monthly (~USD) | Agent Uses | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adagio | Free | $0 | 3/月 | Free tier, web search, PPT 3次 |
| Andante | ¥49/月 | ~$7 | 10/月 | Kimi Turbo, PPT priority |
| Moderato | ¥99/月 | ~$14 | 20/月 | Dual task support |
| Allegretto | ¥199/月 | ~$28 | 40/月 | Agent swarm support |
| Allegro | ¥699/月 | ~$99 | 100/月 | Maximum capacity |
Annual Plans (Significant Savings):
| Tier | Annual Price | Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Andante | ¥468/年 (~$66) | ¥120 saved |
| Moderato | ¥948/年 (~$134) | ¥240 saved |
| Allegretto | ¥1948/年 (~$275) | ¥440 saved |
| Allegro | ¥6788/年 (~$960) | ¥1600 saved |
Special Promotion: Kimi Code users get 3× quota until February 28, 2026
API Pricing (Moonshot Open Platform)
| Model | Input Tokens | Output Tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi K2.5 | $0.60/M | $3.00/M |
| Kimi K2 | $0.50-0.60/M | $2.40-2.50/M |
| Cache Hits | As low as $0.15/M | - |
API vs Membership
API usage is separate from membership benefits. For coding-specific workflows, consider the Moonshot Open Platform API for direct integration with coding tools.
Key Features
Core Capabilities:
- 256K Context Window: Largest among the three platforms, ideal for complex projects
- Visual Agentic Intelligence (K2.5): Native multimodal support for visual and text
- Thinking Mode: Enhanced reasoning for complex problem-solving
- Agent Swarm (Allegretto+): Run multiple agents simultaneously
- Deep Research: Dedicated research capabilities (1-100 uses depending on tier)
- PPT Generation: Built-in presentation creation (3-100 uses)
- Web Search: Built-in web browsing capabilities
- Tool Calling: Robust function calling for external APIs
- Multilingual Support: Strong cross-linguistic capabilities
Integration Ecosystem:
Kimi integrates through Moonshot AI Platform and Kimi Code:
- Kimi Code CLI: Dedicated AI-powered coding assistant
- Claude Code: Agentic workflows with planning capabilities
- Cline: Terminal-based coding with shell access
- Roo Code: Repository navigation and codebase understanding
- Grok CLI: Command-line tooling and automation
- Sourcegraph Cody: Enhanced repository intelligence
- Aider: Code editing and refactoring workflows
- Custom API: Build your own integrations via Moonshot Open Platform
Performance Benchmarks (K2.5)
Kimi K2.5 demonstrates exceptional performance:
- Intelligence Index: 85.9% (highest among the three)
- Coding Index: 34.9% (strong software engineering performance)
- Math Index: 67% (solid mathematical reasoning)
- GPQA: 83.8% (outstanding question-answering ability)
- MMLU Pro: 67% (advanced knowledge representation)
- AIME 2025: Score of 5 (competitive on math olympiad problems)
Pros and Cons (Updated 2026)
Pros:
- ✅ Free Tier Available: Only platform with meaningful free usage
- ✅ Largest Context Window: 256K tokens for complex projects
- ✅ Visual Agentic Intelligence: K2.5's multimodal capabilities
- ✅ Agent Swarm: Run multiple agents simultaneously (Allegretto+)
- ✅ Excellent Benchmarks: Highest intelligence index scores
- ✅ Managed Service: No infrastructure overhead
- ✅ Flexible Pricing: 5 tiers from free to enterprise
- ✅ Kimi Code CLI: Dedicated coding assistant
Cons:
- ⚠️ RMB Pricing: Primary pricing in Chinese Yuan, USD equivalents fluctuate
- ⚠️ API Separate: Membership benefits don't include API usage
- ⚠️ Agent Limits: Monthly agent usage caps even on paid tiers
- ⚠️ Platform Focus: More consumer-oriented than developer-focused
- ⚠️ Regional Availability: Some features may have regional restrictions
Who Should Choose Kimi?
Best For:
- Users who want to try AI coding with no cost (Adagio free tier)
- Knowledge workers and researchers needing massive context
- Content creators requiring multimodal capabilities
- Teams needing Agent swarm functionality
- Users in regions with strong Moonshot AI support
Avoid If:
- You need unlimited monthly usage (all tiers have agent caps)
- You prefer direct API access over platform features
- You want all-in-one pricing (API is separate from membership)
- You need enterprise-grade SLA guarantees
Deep Feature Comparison
Context Window & Memory
| Platform | Max Context | Practical Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Z.ai GLM-5 | 128K tokens | Handle large codebases and multi-file projects |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 128K tokens | Massive context for enterprise applications |
| Kimi K2.5 | 256K tokens | Largest window; ideal for knowledge work, research, and complex multi-step tasks |
Winner: Kimi K2.5 with 256K tokens—double the capacity of competitors.
Coding Performance & Benchmarks (2026)
| Benchmark Metric | Z.ai GLM-5 | MiniMax M2.5 | Kimi K2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-Bench (Verified) | 77.8 | 65-80% | Competitive |
| Terminal Bench 2.0 | Strong | +41% improvement | N/A |
| Coding Index | Solid | 34.9% | Strong |
| Intelligence Index | N/A | High | 85.9% (Highest) |
| Mathematical Reasoning | Good | Good | 67% |
Analysis: Z.ai GLM-5 leads in SWE-bench Verified scores, Kimi K2.5 leads in overall intelligence, and MiniMax M2.5 excels in terminal workflows with speed advantages via M2.5-lightning.
Integration & IDE Support
| Tool/IDE | Z.ai GLM | MiniMax | Kimi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ✅ Native | ✅ Enhanced | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Cursor | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Cline | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Roo Code | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Kilo Code | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| OpenCode | ✅ Native | ✅ Compatible | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Grok CLI | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Sourcegraph Cody | ✅ Native | ✅ Compatible | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Aider | ✅ Native | ✅ Compatible | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| VS Code | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| JetBrains IDEs | ✅ Native | ✅ Native | ✅ Via Moonshot |
| Direct API Access | ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ✅ Via Moonshot |
Analysis: Z.ai GLM offers the broadest native integration with 20+ tools. All three work with major coding tools.
Multimodal Capabilities
| Capability | Z.ai GLM | MiniMax M2.5 | Kimi K2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Generation | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Excellent |
| Image Understanding | ✅ Pro/Max | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported |
| Image Generation | ❌ Not Supported | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported |
| Audio Processing | ❌ Not Supported | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported |
| Video Understanding/Gen | ❌ Not Supported | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported |
| Web Search | ✅ Pro/Max | ✅ Via MCP | ✅ Built-in |
| File Analysis | ✅ Basic | ✅ Supported | ✅ Advanced |
Winner: Kimi K2.5 and MiniMax M2.5 lead in multimodal capabilities. Z.ai GLM added Vision Analyze for Pro/Max tiers but lacks image generation.
Deployment & Infrastructure
| Aspect | Z.ai GLM | MiniMax M2.5 | Kimi K2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Hosting | ❌ Not Available | ✅ MIT License (Self-host) | ❌ Not Available |
| Cloud-Based | ✅ Yes (Z.ai Cloud) | ✅ Available | ✅ Yes (Moonshot AI) |
| API-First | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Serverless Options | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Docker Support | ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Enterprise Features | ✅ Pro/Max | ✅ Available | ✅ Extensive |
| SLA/Guarantee | ✅ Peak-hour (Max) | ✅ Self-Managed | ✅ Priority Support |
Analysis: MiniMax wins on flexibility with self-hosting. Z.ai and Kimi provide managed cloud experiences.
Pricing Efficiency Comparison (2026)
Entry-Level Users:
| Platform | Entry Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi Adagio | Free | 3 Agent uses/month |
| Z.ai Lite | $27/quarter (~$9/month) | GLM-4.7, awaiting GLM-5 |
| MiniMax Starter | $10/month | M2.5, 100 prompts/5h |
Professional Users:
| Platform | Pro Price | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Z.ai Pro | $81/quarter (~$27/month) | GLM-5, Vision, Web tools |
| MiniMax Plus | $20/month | M2.5-lightning, 300 prompts/5h |
| Kimi Moderato | ¥99/month (~$14/month) | 20 Agent uses, dual task support |
Heavy Users:
| Platform | Max Price | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Z.ai Max | $216/quarter (~$72/month) | 4× Pro, peak-hour guarantee |
| MiniMax Max | Contact sales | Claude Code Max 20× equivalent |
| Kimi Allegro | ¥699/month (~$99/month) | 100 Agent uses, Agent swarm |
Cost Efficiency Winner:
- Free tier: Kimi Adagio (only free option)
- Budget: MiniMax Plus ($20/month with M2.5-lightning)
- Performance: Z.ai Pro (GLM-5 access at ~$27/month equivalent)
Use Case Scenarios (Updated 2026)
Scenario 1: Student or Hobbyist on Zero Budget
Situation: You're a student or hobbyist wanting to try AI coding assistance without spending money.
Recommendation: Kimi Adagio (Free)
Why:
- Completely free - no credit card required
- 3 Agent uses per month for coding assistance
- Includes web search capabilities
- Access to Kimi's models via web/app
- Great way to experience AI coding before committing
Total Annual Cost: $0
Scenario 2: Individual Developer on Budget
Situation: You're a freelancer or student needing regular coding help with VS Code.
Recommendation: MiniMax Coding Plan (Plus)
Why:
- $20/month with M2.5-lightning for fast responses
- 300 prompts every 5 hours covers heavy daily usage
- Works with all major coding tools
- 2 months free with annual plan
- Better value than Z.ai's new quarterly pricing for monthly users
Total Annual Cost: $200 (with 2 months free on annual plan)
Scenario 3: Professional Developer Needing GLM-5
Situation: You want access to the latest GLM-5 model with its top-tier SWE-bench performance.
Recommendation: Z.ai GLM Coding Plan (Pro)
Why:
- GLM-5 access with 77.8 SWE-bench score
- Quarterly billing with 10% discount from 2nd quarter
- Vision Analyze and Web Search tools included
- 40-60% faster than Lite tier
- Priority access to new models
Total Annual Cost: ~$227 (with 30% yearly discount)
Scenario 4: Knowledge Worker & Content Creator
Situation: You're a researcher, writer, or content creator who needs to process documents, analyze images, and generate multimedia content.
Recommendation: Kimi (Allegretto)
Why:
- 256K token context window for large documents
- Visual agentic intelligence for multimodal tasks
- Agent swarm support for parallel workflows
- 40 Agent uses + 40 deep research per month
- Annual discount saves ¥440
Total Annual Cost: ~$275 (¥1948/year)
Scenario 5: Enterprise Development Team
Situation: Company with 20+ developers needing coding assistance, enterprise features, and control over data.
Recommendation: Z.ai GLM (Max) or MiniMax (Max)
Why Z.ai Max:
- Guaranteed peak-hour performance
- First access to new models and features
- 4× Pro plan usage for heavy workloads
- ~$605/year with 30% discount
Why MiniMax Max:
- Equivalent to Claude Code Max 20×
- Self-hosting option for data control
- M2.5-lightning speed advantages
Estimated Annual Cost: Custom pricing based on team size
Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose? (2026)
Summary Rankings
| Category | Winner | Runner-Up | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Free Option | Kimi Adagio | - | Only platform with meaningful free tier |
| Best Budget (Monthly) | MiniMax Plus | Kimi Moderato | $20/month with M2.5-lightning speed |
| Best Performance Value | Z.ai Pro | MiniMax Plus | GLM-5 at ~$27/month equivalent |
| Best Multimodal | Kimi K2.5 | MiniMax M2.5 | 256K context, visual agentic intelligence |
| Best for Teams | Z.ai Max / MiniMax Max | Kimi Allegro | Enterprise features, scaling options |
| Highest Coding Performance | Z.ai GLM-5 | MiniMax M2.5 | 77.8 SWE-bench score |
| Fastest Responses | MiniMax M2.5-lightning | Z.ai Pro | Lightning variant same quality, faster |
| Best Context Window | Kimi K2.5 | - | 256K tokens (2× competitors) |
Decision Framework
Choose Z.ai GLM Coding Plan if:
- You want GLM-5's top-tier coding performance (77.8 SWE-bench)
- You can commit to quarterly or yearly billing for discounts
- You need Vision Analyze and Web Search tools (Pro/Max)
- You work primarily with Claude Code, Cursor, or other supported IDEs
- You want priority access to new models
Choose MiniMax Coding Plan if:
- You want the best monthly value at $20/month (Plus tier)
- You need fast response times (M2.5-lightning)
- You want flexibility with monthly billing and 2 months free annually
- You're a high-frequency coder needing many prompts per day
- You value open-source heritage and self-hosting options
Choose Kimi if:
- You want to try AI coding for free (Adagio tier)
- You need the largest context window (256K tokens)
- Your work involves multimodal tasks (images, audio, video)
- You're a knowledge worker or researcher
- You need Agent swarm functionality (Allegretto+)
Conclusion
The AI coding assistant landscape in February 2026 has evolved significantly with all three platforms releasing new flagship models:
Z.ai GLM-5 now offers top-tier coding performance (77.8 SWE-bench) rivaling Claude Opus 4.6. While the ultra-low $3/month pricing is gone, the quarterly billing with discounts makes it attractive for committed developers who want GLM-5's capabilities.
MiniMax M2.5 continues to champion speed and efficiency with the M2.5-lightning variant offering faster responses at no quality trade-off. The $20/month Plus tier remains one of the best values in the market for high-frequency coders.
Kimi K2.5 stands out as the only platform with a meaningful free tier while offering the largest context window (256K tokens) and comprehensive multimodal capabilities. The visual agentic intelligence makes it ideal for knowledge workers and content creators.
Key Changes Since January 2026:
| Change | Impact |
|---|---|
| Z.ai $3/month discontinued | Budget entry now $27/quarter |
| GLM-5 released | Top-tier coding performance available |
| MiniMax M2.5 released | Lightning variant for faster responses |
| Kimi K2.5 released | 256K context, visual agentic intelligence |
| Kimi membership tiers updated | 5 tiers from free to ¥699/month |
Bottom Line: There's no single "best" option—each excels in specific scenarios:
- Free trial: Kimi Adagio
- Monthly budget: MiniMax Plus ($20/month)
- Performance: Z.ai Pro (GLM-5 access)
- Multimodal/Large context: Kimi K2.5
Ready to supercharge your coding workflow? Start with the tier that matches your profile, and remember that the best AI coding assistant is the one that fits seamlessly into your existing development process.
Note: Prices and features based on information available as of February 13, 2026. Always verify current pricing and features on official platforms before making subscription decisions.
Official Resources: