What is the point of Mistral now, when Z.ai exists?
This isn't a troll post, or just hating on Mistral.
From today, in the web UI or 'Vibe' ("le chat" forever ✊) - the "chat" and "work" modes have combined into one and GLM from Z.ai is now the default model.
There is no way to change the model you get in the web UI. No method to switch back to a mistral model.
So.... what is the point of Mistral now?
I came to mistral because I wanted to use Mistral's models. If I wanted to use Z.ai's models, I would go there.
Even GLM directly from Z.ai is cheaper.
| Metric | Mistral Medium 3.5 | GLM 5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input / M tokens | $1.50 | $1.40 |
| Output / M tokens | $7.50 | $4.40 |
| Example: 10M in / 2M out | $30.00 | $22.80 |
Prices from: https://mistral.ai/pricing/api/
So, yeah, what's the point now?
I came to Mistral because they are one of the least censored and wanting to support the EU underdog.
But if I'm not even using their models any more, why bother staying when I could just move to z.ai?
Posted Sep 25, 2026, 7:50 PM UTC