ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-5.4 nano vs GLM-5.1

GPT-5.4 nano comes out ahead, 68 to 57 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5.4 nano

    Released Mar 17, 2026

    68/100
    • ECI145.8
    • Price$0.20 / $1.25
    • 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 nano is our pick

GPT-5.4 nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. GLM-5.1 wins on capability. 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 nano 145.8
  • Lowest priceGPT-5.4 nanoGPT-5.4 nano $0.463 · GLM-5.1 $2.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-5.4 nanoGPT-5.4 nano 400,000 · GLM-5.1 200,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-5.4 nanoGPT-5.4 nano: Text, Images · GLM-5.1: Text
  • Self-hostingGLM-5.1Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-5.4 nanoGLM-5.1
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%7378
Price25%6634
Inputs & features15%7045
Context window10%4432
Overall100%68/10057/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GPT-5.4 nano vs GLM-5.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-5.4 nanoOpenAIGLM-5.1Z.ai (Zhipu)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)145.8149.9 (best)
ECI rank#75 of 148#51 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions78.5%89.9% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics44.9% (best)36.8%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics87.8%93.3% (best)
SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues—74.2%
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions11.7%34.0% (best)
Price per million tokens
Input$0.20 (best)$1.40
Output$1.25 (best)$4.40
Cached input$0.02 (best)$0.26
Blended (3:1)$0.463 (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-nanoglm-5.1
API providers2640 (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 nano$4.50
  • GLM-5.1$22.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

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

GPT-5.4 nano is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against GLM-5.1 (57). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. GLM-5.1 wins on capability. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

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

GPT-5.4 nano is cheaper at $0.20 input / $1.25 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 $0.463 per million tokens for GPT-5.4 nano versus $2.15 for GLM-5.1 (4.6× 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 nano 145.8 (#75 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (148.0–151.6 vs 143.2–147.7), so the gap is a real one. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GLM-5.1 89.9%, GPT-5.4 nano 78.5%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — GPT-5.4 nano 44.9%, GLM-5.1 36.8%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GLM-5.1 93.3%, GPT-5.4 nano 87.8%; SimpleQA Verified — GLM-5.1 34.0%, GPT-5.4 nano 11.7%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-5.4 nano 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 nano has the largest context window at 400,000 tokens, against 200,000 for GLM-5.1. Maximum output per response: GPT-5.4 nano up to 128,000, GLM-5.1 up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-5.4 nano accepts text and images; GLM-5.1 accepts text. GPT-5.4 nano 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 nano is proprietary.

Which is newer?

GLM-5.1 is the newest, released Apr 7, 2026. GPT-5.4 nano came out Mar 17, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.4 nano 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.