GLM-5 Turbo vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
GLM-5 Turbo (2026) and Nemotron 3 Ultra (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and NVIDIA AI. GLM-5 Turbo ships a 200k-token context window, while Nemotron 3 Ultra ships a 1m-token context window. On pricing, Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.50/1M 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.
Nemotron 3 Ultra is ~140% cheaper at $0.50/1M; pay for GLM-5 Turbo only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5 Turbo | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps and long-context analysis |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Long context |
| Context window | 200k | 1m |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- GLM-5 Turbo has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- GLM-5 Turbo uniquely exposes Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GLM-5 Turbo for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.20/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Ultra for Long context.
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
Nemotron 3 Ultra
$950
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,010. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra is $1.80/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GLM-5 Turbo is $1.80/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GLM-5 Turbo adds Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-03-01 | 2026-06-04 |
| Context window | 200k | 1m |
| Parameters | 744B total, 40B active | 550B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Mixture of Experts |
| License | MITOSI-approved | NVIDIA Open Model |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-11 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5 Turbo | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.20/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5 Turbo | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| 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 scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: GLM-5 Turbo, tool use: GLM-5 Turbo, and structured outputs: GLM-5 Turbo. Both models share reasoning mode, 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 Nemotron 3 Ultra lists $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Nemotron 3 Ultra lower by about $1.03 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5 Turbo when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GLM-5 Turbo or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Nemotron 3 Ultra supports 1m tokens, while GLM-5 Turbo supports 200k 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 Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Nemotron 3 Ultra is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5 Turbo costs $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5 Turbo or Nemotron 3 Ultra open source?
GLM-5 Turbo is listed under MIT. Nemotron 3 Ultra is listed under NVIDIA Open Model. 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 Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Both GLM-5 Turbo and Nemotron 3 Ultra expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for function calling, GLM-5 Turbo or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
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 Nemotron 3 Ultra?
GLM-5 Turbo is available on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway. Nemotron 3 Ultra is available on 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: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.