GLM-5 Turbo vs Llama Guard 3 1B
GLM-5 Turbo (2026) and Llama Guard 3 1B (2024) are frontier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and AI at Meta. GLM-5 Turbo ships a 200k-token context window, while Llama Guard 3 1B ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, Llama Guard 3 1B costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $1.20/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama Guard 3 1B is ~1100% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for GLM-5 Turbo only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5 Turbo | Llama Guard 3 1B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | general production evaluation |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Long context and Classification |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- GLM-5 Turbo has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GLM-5 Turbo has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- GLM-5 Turbo uniquely exposes Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GLM-5 Turbo for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Llama Guard 3 1B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.10/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Llama Guard 3 1B for Long context and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GLM-5 Turbo
$1,960
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Llama Guard 3 1B
$105
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Fireworks AI
Estimated monthly gap: $1,855. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for GLM-5 Turbo and Llama Guard 3 1B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama Guard 3 1B is $3.90/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama Guard 3 1B and GLM-5 Turbo; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- GLM-5 Turbo is $3.90/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GLM-5 Turbo adds Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-03-01 | 2024-09-25 |
| Context window | 200k | 128k |
| Parameters | 744B total, 40B active | 1B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | MIT(OSI) | Llama 2 Community |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-11 | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5 Turbo | Llama Guard 3 1B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.20/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5 Turbo | Llama Guard 3 1B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: GLM-5 Turbo, function calling: GLM-5 Turbo, tool use: GLM-5 Turbo, and structured outputs: GLM-5 Turbo. 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, GLM-5 Turbo lists $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Llama Guard 3 1B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama Guard 3 1B lower by about $1.94 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5 Turbo when reasoning depth, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Llama Guard 3 1B when provider fit and lower input-token cost 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GLM-5 Turbo or Llama Guard 3 1B?
GLM-5 Turbo supports 200k tokens, while Llama Guard 3 1B supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, GLM-5 Turbo or Llama Guard 3 1B?
Llama Guard 3 1B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5 Turbo costs $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Llama Guard 3 1B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5 Turbo or Llama Guard 3 1B open source?
GLM-5 Turbo is listed under MIT. Llama Guard 3 1B is listed under Llama 2 Community. 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 reasoning mode, GLM-5 Turbo or Llama Guard 3 1B?
GLM-5 Turbo has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, GLM-5 Turbo or Llama Guard 3 1B?
GLM-5 Turbo 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.
Where can I run GLM-5 Turbo and Llama Guard 3 1B?
GLM-5 Turbo is available on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway. Llama Guard 3 1B is available on Fireworks AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.