ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-5.4 mini vs GLM-5

GPT-5.4 mini comes out ahead, 63 to 55 on our weighted score, though GLM-5 is 8% cheaper per token.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5.4 mini

    Released Mar 17, 2026

    63/100
    • ECI148.8
    • Price$0.75 / $4.50
    • Context400K
    Full specs Remove GPT-5.4 mini

  2. Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-5

    Released Feb 12, 2026

    55/100
    • ECI145.8
    • Price$1.00 / $3.20
    • Context205K
    Full specs Remove GLM-5

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

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 (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 miniGPT-5.4 mini: Text, Images · GLM-5: Text
  • Self-hostingGLM-5Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-5.4 miniGLM-5
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%7773
Price25%3941
Inputs & features15%7035
Context window10%4432
Overall100%63/10055/100
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 specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-5.4 miniOpenAIGLM-5Z.ai (Zhipu)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)148.8 (best)145.8
ECI rank#56 of 148 (best)#74 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions86.9%87.8% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics51.2%—
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics88.9% (best)80.0%
SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues—72.1%
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions29.4%—
Price per million tokens
Input$0.75 (best)$1.00
Output$4.50$3.20 (best)
Cached input$0.075 (best)$0.20
Blended (3:1)$1.69$1.55 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial OpenAI APIOfficial Z.AI API
Limits
Context window400,000 tokens (best)204,800 tokens
Max output128,000 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · high · xhighYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model IDgpt-5.4-miniglm-5
API providers29 (best)27
ReleasedMar 17, 2026Feb 12, 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$16.40
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-5.4 mini or GLM-5?

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, GPT-5.4 mini or GLM-5?

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: GPT-5.4 mini up to 128,000, GLM-5 up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-5.4 mini accepts text and images; GLM-5 accepts text. 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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