GLM 5 vs GLM 5.1
| Signal | GLM 5 | Delta | GLM 5.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 67 | -- | |
Benchmarks | 84 | +8 | |
Pricing | 98 | +2 | |
Context window size | 84 | -- | |
Recency | 100 | -- | |
Output Capacity | 85 | -- | |
| Overall Result | 2 wins | of 6 | 0 wins |
Score History
82.1
current score
Tied
right now
82.1
current score
GLM 5
Zhipu AI
GLM 5.1
Zhipu AI
GLM 5 saves you $137.50/month
That's $1650.00/year compared to GLM 5.1 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | GLM 5 | GLM 5.1 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 82 | 82 | -- |
| Rank | #79 | #77 | GLM 5.1 |
| Quality Rank | #79 | #77 | GLM 5.1 |
| Adoption Rank | #79 | #77 | GLM 5.1 |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 205K | 205K | -- |
| Pricing | $0.95/$2.55/M | $1.40/$4.40/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 67 | 67 | GLM 5 |
| Benchmarks | 84 | 76 | GLM 5 |
| Pricing | 98 | 96 | GLM 5 |
| Context window size | 84 | 84 | GLM 5 |
| Recency | 100 | 100 | GLM 5 |
| Output Capacity | 85 | 85 | GLM 5 |
Our score (0-100) is driven by benchmark performance (90%) from Arena Elo ratings, MMLU, GPQA, HumanEval, SWE-bench, and 15+ standardized evaluations. Capabilities and context window serve as tiebreakers (10%). Learn more about our methodology.
Scores 82/100 (rank #79), placing it in the top 73% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 82/100 (rank #77), placing it in the top 74% of all 290 models tracked.
With only a 0-point gap, these models are in the same performance tier. The practical difference in output quality is minimal - your choice should depend on pricing, latency requirements, and specific feature needs.
Choose GLM 5 when you need:
- High-volume production workloads where API costs must be minimized
- Step-by-step reasoning and chain-of-thought problem solving
- Self-hosted deployments where you need full control over the model
Choose GLM 5.1 when you need:
- Step-by-step reasoning and chain-of-thought problem solving
- Self-hosted deployments where you need full control over the model
GLM 5 offers 40% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $52.50/month with GLM 5 vs $87.00/month with GLM 5.1 - a $34.50 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Based on overall model capabilities and architecture for coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Suitable for user-facing chat with competitive response times. GLM 5 also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (205K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($2.55/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (82/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
GLM 5 and GLM 5.1 are extremely close in overall performance (only 0 points apart). Your best choice depends entirely on which specific strengths matter most for your use case.
By Use Case
Best for Quality
GLM 5
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
GLM 5
40% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
GLM 5
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
GLM 5
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
GLM 5
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by Zhipu AI
- Choose for Quality - Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
- Choose for Cost - 40% lower pricing; better value at scale
- Choose for Reliability - Higher uptime and faster response speeds
- Choose for Prototyping - Stronger community support and better developer experience
- Choose for Production - Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
| Capability | GLM 5 | GLM 5.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
GLM 5
Zhipu AI
GLM 5.1
Zhipu AI
GLM 5 saves you $3.03/month
That's 39% cheaper than GLM 5.1 at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | GLM 5 | GLM 5.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 205K | 205K |
| Max Output Tokens | 131,072 | 131,072 |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Created | Feb 11, 2026 | Apr 7, 2026 |