Head-to-head showdown: GLM-5 (Z.ai) ($1.00 in / $3.20 out per 1M) vs GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai) ($1.20 in / $4.00 out per 1M). GLM-5 (Z.ai) is 1.2× cheaper across standard token mixes, with 200K vs 200K context windows.
glm-5 · zai
glm-5-turbo · zai
Benchmark
| Workload Scenario | GLM-5 (Z.ai) | GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai) | Price Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1M input tokens (raw text) | $1.00 | $1.20 | −$0.20 |
| 1M output tokens (generation) | $3.20 | $4.00 | −$0.80 |
| 1M tokens · 70% input / 30% output mix | $1.66 | $2.04 | −$0.38 |
| Standard chat turn (4K in / 800 out, 50% cached) | $0.00496 | $0.00608 | −$0.00112 |
| Monthly scale (10K requests / day) | $1,488.00 | $1,824.00 | −$336.00 |
Negative difference = GLM-5 (Z.ai) is cheaper. Positive = GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai) is cheaper.
Scaling Curve
Total cost of a token volume at 70/30 input/output split (uncached). Log-log scale.
Verdict
GLM-5 (Z.ai) is cheaper on both input and output rates, so it costs less at every input/output mix. Price alone still isn't the whole decision: capability, latency and context limits (GLM-5 (Z.ai): 200K, GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai): 200K) may justify the premium for your task.
FAQ
On input, GLM-5 (Z.ai) is cheaper ($1.00/M vs $1.20/M). On output, GLM-5 (Z.ai) is cheaper ($3.20/M vs $4.00/M). The same model is cheaper on both sides, so it wins at every mix.
A chat-style request (4,000 input + 800 output tokens, 50% cached) costs $0.00496 on GLM-5 (Z.ai) and $0.00608 on GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai) — GLM-5 (Z.ai) is 1.2× cheaper for that workload.
GLM-5 (Z.ai) supports 200,000 tokens (131.1K max output); GLM-5-Turbo (Z.ai) supports 200,000 (131.1K max output). They are equal.