AI model comparison

GLM 5.2 vs Claude Opus 4.5

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

GLM 5.2 is a large-scale reasoning model from Z.ai.

Input / 1M
$0.06
Output / 1M
$8
Context
1.05M

Claude Opus 4.5 is Anthropic’s frontier reasoning model optimized for complex software engineering, agentic workflows, and long-horizon computer use.

Input / 1M
$5
Output / 1M
$25
Context
200K

At a glance

Quick verdict

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

Lower price

z-ai logo

GLM 5.2

5.5x cheaper for a typical chat

Higher intelligence score

z-ai logo

GLM 5.2

33.7 vs 29.1 on Artificial Analysis

Larger context window

z-ai logo

GLM 5.2

1.05M vs 200K tokens

Newer release

z-ai logo

GLM 5.2

Released June 16, 2026

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores

Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.

Intelligence index

z-ai logoGLM 5.233.7
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.529.1

Coding index

z-ai logoGLM 5.268.8
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5Not available

Agentic index

z-ai logoGLM 5.238.4
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5Not available

Pricing

GLM 5.2 vs Claude Opus 4.5 API pricing

Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.

Metricz-ai logoGLM 5.2anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5
Input tokensPer 1M tokens$0.06$5
Output tokensPer 1M tokens$8$25
Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens$0.06$0.50
Cache writePer 1M tokensNot available$6.25
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 5.2$4.12
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5$22.50

Coding task

30K in, 4K out

z-ai logoGLM 5.2$33.80$33.77 cached
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5$250$115 cached

Long document summary

150K in, 2K out

z-ai logoGLM 5.2$25$24.85 cached
anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5$800$125 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 5.2anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5
Context window1.05M tokens200K tokens
Max output944K tokens64K tokens
Input typesTextFile, Image, Text
Output typesTextText
Reasoning effort levelsExtra high, HighNot available
Default reasoning effortHighNot available
Release dateJune 16, 2026November 24, 2025

Features

Supported features

API features available for each model.

Metricz-ai logoGLM 5.2anthropic logoClaude Opus 4.5
Tool callingSupportedSupported
Structured outputsSupportedSupported
JSON modeSupportedSupported
ReasoningSupportedSupported
TemperatureSupportedSupported
Stop sequencesSupportedSupported
Deterministic seedSupportedNot supported
Verbosity controlNot supportedSupported

Our take

GLM 5.2 is 5.5x cheaper for a typical chat. GLM 5.2 scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (33.7 vs 29.1). GLM 5.2 has the larger context window (1.05M vs 200K 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 5.2 or Claude Opus 4.5 cheaper?

GLM 5.2 is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). GLM 5.2 costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $8 per 1M output tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5 per 1M input tokens and $25 per 1M output tokens.

Which has a bigger context window, GLM 5.2 or Claude Opus 4.5?

GLM 5.2 supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 200K for Claude Opus 4.5.

Is GLM 5.2 smarter than Claude Opus 4.5?

On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, GLM 5.2 scores 33.7 and Claude Opus 4.5 scores 29.1, putting GLM 5.2 ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.

Can I use GLM 5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5 at the same time?

Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see GLM 5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5 answer side by side and keep the better response.

z-ai logoanthropic logo

Why choose? Ask both.

Send one prompt to GLM 5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5 at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.