AI model comparison

GLM 4.6 vs GPT-5 Mini

Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.

Compared with GLM-4.5, this generation brings several key improvements: Longer context window: The context window has been expanded from 128K to 200K tokens, enabling the model to handle more complex

Input / 1M
$0.43
Output / 1M
$1.75
Context
205K

GPT-5 Mini is a compact version of GPT-5, designed to handle lighter-weight reasoning tasks.

Input / 1M
$0.25
Output / 1M
$2
Context
400K

At a glance

Quick verdict

How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.

Lower price

openai logo

GPT-5 Mini

1.2x cheaper for a typical chat

Higher intelligence score

openai logo

GPT-5 Mini

20.6 vs 18.5 on Artificial Analysis

Larger context window

openai logo

GPT-5 Mini

400K vs 205K tokens

Newer release

z-ai logo

GLM 4.6

Released September 30, 2025

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores

Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.

Intelligence index

z-ai logoGLM 4.618.5
openai logoGPT-5 Mini20.6

Coding index

z-ai logoGLM 4.645.8
openai logoGPT-5 MiniNot available

Agentic index

z-ai logoGLM 4.6Not available
openai logoGPT-5 MiniNot available

Pricing

GLM 4.6 vs GPT-5 Mini API pricing

Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.

Metricz-ai logoGLM 4.6openai logoGPT-5 Mini
Input tokensPer 1M tokens$0.43$0.25
Output tokensPer 1M tokens$1.75$2
Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens$0.08$0.03
Cache writePer 1M tokensNot availableNot available
Web searchPer requestNot available$0.01

What it costs in practice

Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.

Chat message

2K in, 500 out

z-ai logoGLM 4.6$1.74
openai logoGPT-5 Mini$1.50

Coding task

30K in, 4K out

z-ai logoGLM 4.6$19.90$9.40 cached
openai logoGPT-5 Mini$15.50$8.75 cached

Long document summary

150K in, 2K out

z-ai logoGLM 4.6$68$15.50 cached
openai logoGPT-5 Mini$41.50$7.75 cached

Specs

Context window and capabilities

How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.

Metricz-ai logoGLM 4.6openai logoGPT-5 Mini
Context window205K tokens400K tokens
Max output16K tokens128K tokens
Input typesTextFile, Image, Text
Output typesTextText
Reasoning effort levelsNot availableHigh, Medium, Low, Minimal
Default reasoning effortNot availableMedium
Release dateSeptember 30, 2025August 7, 2025

Features

Supported features

API features available for each model.

Metricz-ai logoGLM 4.6openai logoGPT-5 Mini
Tool callingSupportedSupported
Structured outputsSupportedSupported
JSON modeSupportedSupported
ReasoningSupportedSupported
TemperatureSupportedNot supported
Stop sequencesSupportedNot supported
Deterministic seedSupportedSupported
Verbosity controlNot supportedSupported

Our take

GPT-5 Mini is 1.2x cheaper for a typical chat. GPT-5 Mini scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (20.6 vs 18.5). GPT-5 Mini has the larger context window (400K vs 205K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is GLM 4.6 or GPT-5 Mini cheaper?

GPT-5 Mini is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). GPT-5 Mini costs $0.25 per 1M input tokens and $2 per 1M output tokens, while GLM 4.6 costs $0.43 per 1M input tokens and $1.75 per 1M output tokens.

Which has a bigger context window, GLM 4.6 or GPT-5 Mini?

GPT-5 Mini supports up to 400K tokens of context, compared with 205K for GLM 4.6.

Is GLM 4.6 smarter than GPT-5 Mini?

On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, GLM 4.6 scores 18.5 and GPT-5 Mini scores 20.6, putting GPT-5 Mini ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.

Can I use GLM 4.6 and GPT-5 Mini at the same time?

Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see GLM 4.6 and GPT-5 Mini answer side by side and keep the better response.

z-ai logoopenai logo

Why choose? Ask both.

Send one prompt to GLM 4.6 and GPT-5 Mini at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.