GLM-5 9B vs o3
GLM-5 9B (2026) and o3 (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and OpenAI. GLM-5 9B ships a 262k-token context window, while o3 ships a 200k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
GLM-5 9B is safer overall; choose o3 when coding workflow support matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5 9B | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 262k | 200k |
| Cheapest output | - | $8/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 0 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- GLM-5 9B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags GLM-5 9B for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- o3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- o3 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GLM-5 9B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
o3
$3,600
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for GLM-5 9B and o3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- o3 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for o3 and GLM-5 9B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-02-15 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 262k | 200k |
| Parameters | 9 | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Weights | Available | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-11 | 2024-06 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5 9B | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $2/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $8/1M tokens |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5 9B | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.