GLM-5 API pricing
Official GLM (Z.ai) list price, last checked Oct 29, 2026. Updated Oct 29, 2026.
GLM-5 costs $1 per 1M input tokens and $3.20 per 1M output tokens, cached input at $0.20, per GLM (Z.ai)'s official pricing page (checked Oct 29, 2026). It's priced in the middle of the pack: number 45 of 77 by blended price ($1.55 per 1M tokens at a 3 to 1 input to output mix). On LMArena's Code Arena it ranks #40 of 50 models we price (relative score 0 out of 100). Cheaper pick: MiMo-V2.6 Flash scores 36 against 0 on the same board at $0.175 blended, 8.9x less.
GLM-5 price per million tokens
| GLM-5 price per million tokens | USD |
|---|---|
| Input | $1 |
| Cached input | $0.20 |
| Output | $3.20 |
| Blended, 3 parts input to 1 part output | $1.55 |
| Context window | Not listed |
GLM (Z.ai) lists one flat rate for GLM-5: no long-prompt surcharge or tier is shown on the pricing page we checked.
What GLM-5 costs for real work
List-price estimates for a month, no discounts. Our math, not a quote: change the token counts in the plan vs API calculator.
| Workload | Tokens a month | GLM-5 | Grok 4.3 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light: a side project or personal assistant | 2M in, 0.5M out | $3.60 | $3.75 | $1.20 |
| Medium: a small team or one product feature | 20M in, 5M out | $36.00 | $37.50 | $12.00 |
| Heavy: a production app | 200M in, 50M out | $360 | $375 | $120 |
| Medium with 80% of input cached | 20M in (16M cached), 5M out | $23.20 | $20.70 | $7.30 |
How GLM-5 ranks on LMArena
Relative score: 100 is the top model we price on that board. Rank is among the models in our price table, not the full leaderboard.
| Board | Rank | Score /100 |
|---|---|---|
| Coding (Code Arena) | #40 of 50 | 0 |
| Chat (Text Arena) | #27 of 51 | 0 |
| Creative writing (Text Arena creative writing) | #18 of 51 | 3 |
| Roleplay and characters (Text Arena multi-turn) | #22 of 51 | 0 |
| Reasoning and math (Text Arena math) | #39 of 51 | 0 |
Closest rivals to GLM-5
The models nearest in price, other makers first. Ranks are on Code Arena, where we have them.
| Model | In / out | Blended | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 4.3 | $1.25 / $2.50 | $1.56 | A tie on price and score. Compare |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $0.75 / $3.75 | $1.50 | Gemini 3.8 Flash wins on both. Compare |
| ERNIE 5.0 | $0.84 / $3.38 | $1.48 | ERNIE 5.0 wins on price. Compare |
| Step 5 Preview | $1 / $2.70 | $1.43 | Step 5 Preview wins on both. Compare |
Cheaper alternatives to GLM-5
At least 40% cheaper blended, best LMArena score first.
| Model | In / out | Blended | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | $0.30 / $1.20 | $0.525 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins on both. Compare |
| MiMo-V2.6 Flash | $0.14 / $0.28 | $0.175 | MiMo-V2.6 Flash wins on both. Compare |
| MiMo-V2.6 Pro | $0.435 / $0.87 | $0.5437 | MiMo-V2.6 Pro wins on both. Compare |
More from GLM (Z.ai)
- GLM-4.7$0.60 in, $2.20 out per 1M
- GLM-4.6$0.60 in, $2.20 out per 1M
- GLM-5.3$1.40 in, $4.40 out per 1M
- GLM-5.2$1.40 in, $4.40 out per 1M
- GLM-5.1$1.40 in, $4.40 out per 1M
FAQ
How much does the GLM-5 API cost per million tokens?
$1 per 1M input tokens and $3.20 per 1M output tokens, plus $0.20 per 1M for cached input, as of Oct 29, 2026. A typical 3 to 1 input to output mix works out to $1.55 per 1M tokens.
Does GLM-5 charge more for long prompts?
No. GLM (Z.ai) lists a single rate on its pricing page.
Is GLM-5 cheaper than Grok 4.3?
Yes. A medium month (20M input and 5M output tokens) costs $36.00 on GLM-5 and $37.50 on Grok 4.3 at list price. On Code Arena, GLM-5 ranks #40 and Grok 4.3 #46.
How does GLM-5 rank on LMArena?
On Code Arena it is #40 of 50 models we price, with a relative score of 0 out of 100. It ranks on 5 of 8 boards we track.
What is a cheaper alternative to GLM-5?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $0.30 in and $1.20 out per 1M tokens, about 3.0x less blended, and scores 46 on Code Arena against 0 for GLM-5.
Where does this GLM-5 price come from?
From GLM (Z.ai)'s official pricing page, which we check every day. This page was last checked Oct 29, 2026.