I’ve been running both ChatGLM and Claude side by side since January. Not just testing prompts – I’ve used them for real work: debugging code, drafting emails, summarizing meeting notes, and even writing poetry for my kid’s birthday card.
Here’s what I actually found.
First impressions
ChatGLM opened instantly on my phone. No waiting list, no credit card. I typed “帮我写一个Python脚本整理文件夹” and it spat out working code in 4 seconds. The Chinese was flawless – no awkward translations.
Claude required an email sign-up and asked about my use case. First response felt slower, maybe 8 seconds. But when I asked it to explain a complex SQL query, the explanation was deeper, with analogies I could actually follow.
Real tasks, real results
Task 1: Summarizing a 30-page PDF (in Chinese)
ChatGLM handled it well. It pulled out key points, dates, and decisions. But it missed a subtle contradiction on page 22 – a clause that conflicted with the executive summary. I only caught it because I skimmed.
Claude caught that contradiction immediately. It flagged it in the summary with a note: “注意：第22条与摘要第3段存在冲突。” That saved me from a potential mistake in a contract review.
Task 2: Writing a cold email (in English)
ChatGLM’s version was direct and polite. But it used phrases like “I hope this message finds you well” – which feels outdated in 2024.
Claude’s version started with a specific compliment about the recipient’s recent blog post. It felt personal, not templated. I actually sent it.
Task 3: Debugging messy Python code
I pasted a 200-line script that kept crashing. ChatGLM identified the indexing error in 10 seconds. Claude found the same error, but also pointed out a memory leak I hadn’t noticed.
The quirks
ChatGLM sometimes gives overly enthusiastic responses. I asked it to critique my resume – it said everything was “perfect” and only suggested changing the font. Not helpful.
Claude occasionally refuses tasks. I asked it to rewrite a mildly sarcastic email. It said it “couldn’t assist with potentially unprofessional content.” I had to rephrase my request.
Speed vs depth
ChatGLM is faster. For quick tasks – translation, simple code, basic summaries – it’s my go-to. It feels like a sharp assistant who works at double speed.
Claude is slower but more thoughtful. For anything requiring nuance, contradiction detection, or safety checks, I wait the extra seconds.
Verdict
Keep both. Use ChatGLM for speed and Chinese-native tasks. Use Claude for deep analysis, English writing, and anything where missing a detail would cost you.
If I had to pick one for Chinese-heavy workflows: ChatGLM. For English-first, high-stakes work: Claude. But the real answer is – they complement each other better than any single model I’ve tried.
