ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-5.4 mini vs GLM-5.1

GPT-5.4 mini comes out ahead, 63 to 57 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5.4 mini

    Released Mar 17, 2026

    63/100
    • ECI148.8
    • Price$0.75 / $4.50
    • Context400K
  2. Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-5.1

    Released Apr 7, 2026

    57/100
    • ECI149.9
    • Price$1.40 / $4.40
    • Context200K
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01 — Verdict

GPT-5.4 mini is our pick

GPT-5.4 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGLM-5.1Capabilities Index (ECI): GLM-5.1 149.9 · GPT-5.4 mini 148.8
  • Lowest priceGPT-5.4 miniGPT-5.4 mini $1.69 · GLM-5.1 $2.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-5.4 miniGPT-5.4 mini 400,000 · GLM-5.1 200,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-5.4 miniGPT-5.4 mini: Text, Images · GLM-5.1: Text
  • Self-hostingGLM-5.1Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-5.4 miniGLM-5.1
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%7778
Price25%3934
Inputs & features15%7045
Context window10%4432
Overall100%63/10057/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GPT-5.4 mini vs GLM-5.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-5.4 miniOpenAIGLM-5.1Z.ai (Zhipu)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)148.8149.9 (best)
ECI rank#56 of 148#51 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions86.9%89.9% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics51.2% (best)36.8%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics88.9%93.3% (best)
SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues—74.2%
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions29.4%34.0% (best)
Price per million tokens
Input$0.75 (best)$1.40
Output$4.50$4.40 (best)
Cached input$0.075 (best)$0.26
Blended (3:1)$1.69 (best)$2.15
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial OpenAI APIOfficial Z.AI API
Limits
Context window400,000 tokens (best)200,000 tokens
Max output128,000 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · high · xhighYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model IDgpt-5.4-miniglm-5.1
API providers2940 (best)
ReleasedMar 17, 2026Apr 7, 2026
Knowledge cutoffAug 31, 2025—
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.

  • GPT-5.4 mini$16.50
  • GLM-5.1$22.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-5.4 mini or GLM-5.1?

GPT-5.4 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 mini or GLM-5.1?

GPT-5.4 mini is cheaper at $0.75 input / $4.50 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). GLM-5.1 costs $1.40 input / $4.40 output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.69 per million tokens for GPT-5.4 mini versus $2.15 for GLM-5.1 (1.3× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GLM-5.1 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GLM-5.1 149.9 (#51 of 148) and GPT-5.4 mini 148.8 (#56 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (148.0–151.6 vs 147.1–150.5), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GLM-5.1 89.9%, GPT-5.4 mini 86.9%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — GPT-5.4 mini 51.2%, GLM-5.1 36.8%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GLM-5.1 93.3%, GPT-5.4 mini 88.9%; SimpleQA Verified — GLM-5.1 34.0%, GPT-5.4 mini 29.4%.

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, GLM-5.1 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 200,000 for GLM-5.1. Maximum output per response: GPT-5.4 mini up to 128,000, GLM-5.1 up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-5.4 mini accepts text and images; GLM-5.1 accepts text. GPT-5.4 mini handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

GLM-5.1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; GPT-5.4 mini is proprietary.

Which is newer?

GLM-5.1 is the newest, released Apr 7, 2026. GPT-5.4 mini came out Mar 17, 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.