GLM-5 vs GPT-5.4 mini
GPT-5.4 mini comes out ahead, 63 to 55 on our weighted score, though GLM-5 is 8% cheaper per token.
Z.ai (Zhipu)GLM-5
55/100- ECI145.8
- Price$1.00 / $3.20
- Context205K
- Our pick
OpenAIGPT-5.4 mini
63/100- ECI148.8
- Price$0.75 / $4.50
- Context400K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
GPT-5.4 mini is our pick
GPT-5.4 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-5 (55). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. GLM-5 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
- CapabilityGPT-5.4 miniCapabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.4 mini 148.8 · GLM-5 145.8
- Lowest priceGLM-5GLM-5 $1.55 · GPT-5.4 mini $1.69 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGPT-5.4 miniGPT-5.4 mini 400,000 · GLM-5 204,800 tokens
- Widest inputsGPT-5.4 miniGLM-5: Text · GPT-5.4 mini: Text, Images
- Self-hostingGLM-5Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | GLM-5 | GPT-5.4 mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI) | 50% | 73 | 77 |
| Price | 25% | 41 | 39 |
| Inputs & features | 15% | 35 | 70 |
| Context window | 10% | 32 | 44 |
| Overall | 100% | 55/100 | 63/100 |
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | GLM-5Z.ai (Zhipu) | GPT-5.4 miniOpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 145.8 | 148.8 (best) |
| ECI rank | #74 of 148 | #56 of 148 (best) |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 87.8% (best) | 86.9% |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics | — | 51.2% |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 80.0% | 88.9% (best) |
| SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues | 72.1% | — |
| SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions | — | 29.4% |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.00 | $0.75 (best) |
| Output | $3.20 (best) | $4.50 |
| Cached input | $0.20 | $0.075 (best) |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.55 (best) | $1.69 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Z.AI API | Official OpenAI API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 204,800 tokens | 400,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 131,072 tokens (best) | 128,000 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yeslow · medium · high · xhigh |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |
| API model ID | glm-5 | gpt-5.4-mini |
| API providers | 27 | 29 (best) |
| Released | Feb 12, 2026 | Mar 17, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | Aug 31, 2025 |
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$16.40
- GPT-5.4 mini$16.50
Which should you choose?
Which is better: GLM-5 or GPT-5.4 mini?
GPT-5.4 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-5 (55). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. GLM-5 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
Which is cheaper, GLM-5 or GPT-5.4 mini?
GLM-5 is cheaper at $1.00 input / $3.20 output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price). GPT-5.4 mini costs $0.75 input / $4.50 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.55 per million tokens for GLM-5 versus $1.69 for GPT-5.4 mini (1.1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
GPT-5.4 mini scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.4 mini 148.8 (#56 of 148) and GLM-5 145.8 (#74 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (147.1–150.5 vs 143.9–147.7), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GLM-5 87.8%, GPT-5.4 mini 86.9%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GPT-5.4 mini 88.9%, GLM-5 80.0%.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-5.4 mini yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, GPT-5.4 mini leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-5.4 mini has the largest context window at 400,000 tokens, against 204,800 for GLM-5. Maximum output per response: GLM-5 up to 131,072, GPT-5.4 mini up to 128,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
GLM-5 accepts text; GPT-5.4 mini accepts text and images. GPT-5.4 mini handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
GLM-5 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; GPT-5.4 mini is proprietary.
Which is newer?
GPT-5.4 mini is the newest, released Mar 17, 2026. GLM-5 came out Feb 12, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.4 mini Aug 31, 2025.
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.
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