Cheaper overall
GLM 5.1
62% lower blended rate
Higher benchmark scores
GLM 5.1
leads on 14 of 24 figures
Bigger context window
GPT-5.4
1,050,000 vs 200,000 tokens
Cheaper cached input
GPT-5.4
$0.25 vs $0.26, 4% less
Where each one wins
GLM 5.1
- Cheaper input tokens $1.40 vs $2.50, 44% less
- Cheaper output tokens $4.40 vs $15.00, 71% less
- Cheaper on all four workloads
- Higher instruction following (IFBench) 76.3 vs 73.9
- Higher support-agent performance (ฯยฒ-Bench Telecom) 97.7 vs 87.1
- Higher answer reliability (Omniscience Non-Hallucination) 70.1 vs 17.4
- Ahead on 11 more benchmark figures
GPT-5.4
- Cheaper cached input $0.25 vs $0.26, 4% less
- Larger context window 1,050,000 tokens
- Higher coding ability (Coding Index) 71.1 vs 55.8
- Higher graduate-level science (GPQA Diamond) 92 vs 86.8
- Higher expert-exam performance (Humanity's Last Exam) 43.7 vs 30.1
- Ahead on 7 more benchmark figures
- Offers Batch, Flex and Priority pricing not listed for GLM 5.1
What four workloads cost
One run, and the same run a thousand times.
GLM 5.1 is cheaper on all four workloads, by much the same margin each time โ about 2.2 times, from $0.0036 against $0.0100 on a chat turn to $0.2736 against $0.4600 on a long document.
| Workload | GLM 5.1 | GPT-5.4 | ร1,000 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat turn 1,000 in / 500 out | $0.0036 | $0.0100 | $3.60 / $10.00 | GLM 5.1 is 64% cheaper |
| RAG answer 10,000 in / 800 out | $0.0175 | $0.0370 | $17.52 / $37.00 | GLM 5.1 is 53% cheaper |
| Agent loop 32,000 in / 700 out ร 20 calls | $0.2736 | $0.4600 | $273.60 / $460.00 | GLM 5.1 is 41% cheaper |
| Long document 400,000 in / 3,000 out | GLM 5.1's context window holds 200,000 tokens, so a 400,000-token prompt does not fit. | |||
Price per 1M tokens
Above 272,000 input tokens the rates change, and the new rate applies to the whole request, not just the tokens past that point: GPT-5.4's input goes from $2.50 to $5.00. It does not change which of the two is cheaper.
| Context band | Price | GLM 5.1 | GPT-5.4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $2.50 | GLM 5.1 is 44% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.25 | GPT-5.4 is 4% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $15.00 | GLM 5.1 is 71% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $5.00 | GLM 5.1 is 72% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.50 | GLM 5.1 is 48% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $22.50 | GLM 5.1 is 80% cheaper |
Blended: GLM 5.1 $2.15, GPT-5.4 $5.625 per 1M โ one rate at 3:1 input to output, for comparing two models at a glance.
GLM 5.1 priced by Z.ai, GPT-5.4 by OpenAI. Standard tier, pay-as-you-go.
Other pricing tiers
Only GPT-5.4 lists Batch, Flex and Priority, at up to 50% off its own standard rate; GLM 5.1 offers none of them.
Every tier either model sells is here, so this is the whole price sheet. A saving is measured against that model's own standard rate โ how we read tiers.
| Tier | GLM 5.1 | GPT-5.4 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $1.25 in / $7.50 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Flex only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $1.25 in / $7.50 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Priority only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $5.00 in / $30.00 out | — |
Benchmarks
They share 24 figures: GLM 5.1 leads on 14, GPT-5.4 on 10. The widest gap is 216 points, on 3d Elo.
Coding ability
Coding Index โ Coding ability across software-engineering evals
GPT-5.4 ahead by 15.3
Graduate-level science
GPQA Diamond โ Graduate-level questions in biology, chemistry & physics
GPT-5.4 ahead by 5.2
Expert-exam performance
Humanity's Last Exam โ Expert-level questions across many academic domains
GPT-5.4 ahead by 13.6
Instruction following
IFBench โ Precise following of detailed instructions
GLM 5.1 ahead by 2.4
Support-agent performance
ฯยฒ-Bench Telecom โ Tool-using agent tasks in a telecom support setting
GLM 5.1 ahead by 10.6
Long-context reasoning
AA-LCR โ Long-context reasoning across large inputs
GPT-5.4 ahead by 8.3
Command-line work
Terminal-Bench Hard โ Complex command-line and terminal workflows
GPT-5.4 ahead by 14.4
Physics research reasoning
CritPt โ Unpublished physics research reasoning problems
GPT-5.4 ahead by 18.8
Real-world task performance
GDPval โ Economically valuable, real-world knowledge work
GPT-5.4 ahead by 6.4
Factual accuracy
Omniscience Accuracy โ Breadth of factual knowledge across domains
GPT-5.4 ahead by 25.6
Answer reliability
Omniscience Non-Hallucination โ How reliably the model avoids fabricated answers
GLM 5.1 ahead by 52.7
Androidnative Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the androidnative category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 148
Fullstack Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the fullstack category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 150
Godotgamedev Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the godotgamedev category
GPT-5.4 ahead by 82
Mobileapps Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the mobileapps category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 76
Webapps Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the webapps category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 116
3d Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the 3d category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 216
Asciiart Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the asciiart category
GPT-5.4 ahead by 66
Codecategories Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the codecategories category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 55
Dataviz Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the dataviz category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 121
Gamedev Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the gamedev category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 23
Svg Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the svg category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 24
Uicomponent Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the uicomponent category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 44
Website Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the website category
GLM 5.1 ahead by 62
Each figure is that model's best published run, with the effort level named beside it โ where these scores come from.
Specifications
GPT-5.4 holds 850,000 more input tokens in one request. GPT-5.4 also takes file and image.
| Specification | GLM 5.1 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 200,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Takes in | Text | Text, image, file |
| Puts out | Text | Text |
| Knowledge cutoff | โ | 31 Aug 2025 |
| Released | 7 Apr 2026 | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Sold by | Z.ai | OpenAI, Perplexity |
FAQs
- Is GLM 5.1 cheaper than GPT-5.4?
- Yes. A 1,000-token prompt with a 500-token reply costs $0.0036 on GLM 5.1 and $0.0100 on GPT-5.4, and the same model is cheaper on every workload on this page.
- How much do GLM 5.1 and GPT-5.4 cost per 1M tokens?
- GLM 5.1 costs $1.40 for input and $4.40 for output. GPT-5.4 costs $2.50 and $15.00. Standard pay-as-you-go rates, as of 7 Apr 2026.
- Which is better, GLM 5.1 or GPT-5.4?
- On published benchmarks, GPT-5.4. It leads on 14 of the 24 figures both models report, including coding ability (Coding Index), where it scores 71.1 against 55.8.
- Does GLM 5.1 or GPT-5.4 offer batch pricing?
- GPT-5.4 only. Its batch input costs $1.25, 50% off its standard rate, and GLM 5.1 lists no batch tier at all.
- Does GLM 5.1 or GPT-5.4 have a bigger context window?
- GPT-5.4, at 1,050,000 tokens against 200,000. That is 850,000 more input tokens in a single request.