I Spent a Week Comparing Chinese AI Models and Here's What I Found

Okay, real talk. When I graduated from my coding bootcamp three months ago, I thought I knew AI. Like, I'd used ChatGPT, I knew what an API was, I'd even made a couple of calls to OpenAI for a class project. I figured I had a handle on things.

Then I stumbled onto this whole world of Chinese AI models and honestly? My brain exploded a little. I had no idea there were so many options, and some of them are genuinely mind-blowing. So I spent about a week just messing around with four of the big ones: DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM. All through Global API, which I had no idea existed before this rabbit hole.

Let me walk you through what I learned, because if you're a fellow beginner, this might save you a lot of Googling.

Why I Even Started Looking at Chinese Models

I Spent a Week Comparing Chinese AI Models and Here's What I Found

Let me walk you through what I learned, because if you're a fellow beginner, this might save you a lot of Googling.

Why I Even Started Looking at Chinese Models

I Spent a Week Comparing Chinese AI Models and Here's What I Found

I Spent a Week Comparing Chinese AI Models and Here's What I Found

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Related reading

I Was Shocked How Cheap Chinese AI Models Actually Are In 2026

I Stumbled Into a 40x Cost Reduction by Switching to Chinese AI Models

How I Found the Best AI Coding Model Without Going Broke

I Was Spending $3,200/Month on GPT. Then I Tried Chinese Models.

China's AI Models vs My Invoice: A Freelancer's Real-World Test

I Cut My OpenAI Bill by 94% Using Chinese AI Models — Here's Exactly How