ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GLM-4.5-Flash vs solar-mini

GLM-4.5-Flash comes out ahead, 65 to 52 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-4.5-Flash

    Released Jul 28, 2025

    65/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context131K
  2. Upstage

    solar-mini

    Released Jun 12, 2024

    52/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.15 / $0.15
    • Context33K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GLM-4.5-Flash is our pick

GLM-4.5-Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against solar-mini (52). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceGLM-4.5-FlashGLM-4.5-Flash Free · solar-mini $0.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGLM-4.5-FlashGLM-4.5-Flash 131,072 · solar-mini 32,768 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGLM-4.5-Flash: Text · solar-mini: Text
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGLM-4.5-Flashsolar-mini
Price50%10089
Inputs & features30%3525
Context window20%240
Overall100%65/10052/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

GLM-4.5-Flash vs solar-mini specifications side by side
SpecificationGLM-4.5-FlashZ.ai (Zhipu)solar-miniUpstage
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
InputFree (best)$0.15
OutputFree (best)$0.15
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)Free (best)$0.15
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Z.AI APIOfficial Upstage API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Max output98,304 tokens (best)4,096 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDglm-4.5-flashsolar-mini
API providers4 (best)1
ReleasedJul 28, 2025Jun 12, 2024
Knowledge cutoffApr 2025Sep 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • GLM-4.5-FlashFree
  • solar-mini$1.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GLM-4.5-Flash or solar-mini?

GLM-4.5-Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against solar-mini (52). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, GLM-4.5-Flash or solar-mini?

GLM-4.5-Flash is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price). solar-mini costs $0.15 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (official Upstage API price). GLM-4.5-Flash is listed as free.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. GLM-4.5-Flash has not been scored yet and solar-mini has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GLM-4.5-Flash and solar-mini yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

GLM-4.5-Flash has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 32,768 for solar-mini. Maximum output per response: GLM-4.5-Flash up to 98,304, solar-mini up to 4,096 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GLM-4.5-Flash accepts text; solar-mini accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

No. GLM-4.5-Flash and solar-mini are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

GLM-4.5-Flash is the newest, released Jul 28, 2025. solar-mini came out Jun 12, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: GLM-4.5-Flash Apr 2025, solar-mini Sep 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.