Composer 2.5 vs GLM-4.6
Composer 2.5 (2026) and GLM-4.6 (2025) are agentic coding models from Cursor (Anysphere) and Tsinghua Knowledge Engineering Group (THUDM). Composer 2.5 ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while GLM-4.6 ships a 198K-token context window. On pricing, GLM-4.6 costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Composer 2.5 is safer overall; choose GLM-4.6 when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Composer 2.5 | GLM-4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and JSON / Tool use | RAG, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | — | 198K |
| Cheapest output | $2.5/1M tokens | $1.9/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Composer 2.5 uniquely exposes Function calling, Tool use, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Composer 2.5 for Coding, Agents, and JSON / Tool use.
- GLM-4.6 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GLM-4.6 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.9/1M tokens.
- GLM-4.6 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- GLM-4.6 uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GLM-4.6 for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Composer 2.5
$1,025
Cheapest tracked route: Cursor
GLM-4.6
$787
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $238. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Composer 2.5 and GLM-4.6; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- GLM-4.6 is $0.6/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling, Tool use, and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- GLM-4.6 adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for GLM-4.6 and Composer 2.5; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Composer 2.5 is $0.6/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Composer 2.5 adds Function calling, Tool use, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-05-18 | 2025-01-01 |
| Context window | — | 198K |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Composer 2.5 | GLM-4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.5/1M tokens | $1.9/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Composer 2.5 | GLM-4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: Composer 2.5, tool use: Composer 2.5, structured outputs: GLM-4.6, and code execution: Composer 2.5. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Composer 2.5 lists $0.5/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens, while GLM-4.6 lists $0.39/1M input and $1.9/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GLM-4.6 lower by about $0.26 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Composer 2.5 when coding workflow support are central to the workload. Choose GLM-4.6 when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Composer 2.5 or GLM-4.6?
GLM-4.6 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Composer 2.5 costs $0.5/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens. GLM-4.6 costs $0.39/1M input and $1.9/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Composer 2.5 or GLM-4.6 open source?
Composer 2.5 is listed under Proprietary. GLM-4.6 is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for function calling, Composer 2.5 or GLM-4.6?
Composer 2.5 has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for tool use, Composer 2.5 or GLM-4.6?
Composer 2.5 has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Composer 2.5 or GLM-4.6?
GLM-4.6 has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Composer 2.5 and GLM-4.6?
Composer 2.5 is available on Cursor. GLM-4.6 is available on Fireworks AI and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.