ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GLM-5.1 vs GLM-5.2

GLM-5.2 comes out ahead, 61 to 57 on our weighted score.

  1. Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-5.1

    Released Apr 7, 2026

    57/100
    • ECI149.9
    • Price$1.40 / $4.40
    • Context200K
    Full specs Remove GLM-5.1
  2. Our pick

    Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-5.2

    Released Jun 13, 2026

    61/100
    • ECI151.8
    • Price$1.40 / $4.40
    • Context1M
    Full specs Remove GLM-5.2

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GLM-5.2 is our pick

GLM-5.2 is the better all-round choice, scoring 61/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on capability and context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGLM-5.2Capabilities Index (ECI): GLM-5.2 151.8 · GLM-5.1 149.9
  • Lowest priceSame priceGLM-5.1 $2.15 · GLM-5.2 $2.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGLM-5.2GLM-5.2 1,000,000 · GLM-5.1 200,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGLM-5.1: Text · GLM-5.2: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGLM-5.1GLM-5.2
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%7880
Price25%3434
Inputs & features15%4545
Context window10%3260
Overall100%57/10061/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GLM-5.1 vs GLM-5.2 specifications side by side
SpecificationGLM-5.1Z.ai (Zhipu)GLM-5.2Z.ai (Zhipu)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)149.9151.8 (best)
ECI rank#51 of 148#44 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions89.9%91.9% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics36.8%59.2% (best)
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics93.3% (best)86.4%
SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues74.2%78.7% (best)
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions34.0%34.2% (best)
Price per million tokens
Input$1.40$1.40
Output$4.40$4.40
Cached input$0.26$0.26
Blended (3:1)$2.15$2.15
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Z.AI APIOfficial Z.AI API
Limits
Context window200,000 tokens1,000,000 tokens (best)
Max output131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYeshigh · max
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDglm-5.1glm-5.2
API providers4080 (best)
ReleasedApr 7, 2026Jun 13, 2026
Knowledge cutoff——
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-5.1$22.80
  • GLM-5.2$22.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GLM-5.1 or GLM-5.2?

GLM-5.2 is the better all-round choice, scoring 61/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on capability and context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GLM-5.1 or GLM-5.2?

GLM-5.1 and GLM-5.2 cost the same: $1.40 input / $4.40 output per million tokens.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GLM-5.2 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GLM-5.2 151.8 (#44 of 148) and GLM-5.1 149.9 (#51 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (149.8–154.0 vs 148.0–151.6), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GLM-5.2 91.9%, GLM-5.1 89.9%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — GLM-5.2 59.2%, GLM-5.1 36.8%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GLM-5.1 93.3%, GLM-5.2 86.4%; SWE-bench Verified — GLM-5.2 78.7%, GLM-5.1 74.2%; SimpleQA Verified — GLM-5.2 34.2%, GLM-5.1 34.0%.

Which is better for coding?

GLM-5.2 resolves more real GitHub issues on SWE-bench Verified: GLM-5.2 78.7% and GLM-5.1 74.2%. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

GLM-5.2 has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 200,000 for GLM-5.1. Maximum output per response: GLM-5.1 up to 131,072, GLM-5.2 up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GLM-5.1 accepts text; GLM-5.2 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

GLM-5.2 is the newest, released Jun 13, 2026. GLM-5.1 came out Apr 7, 2026.

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.

05 — Keep comparing

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