GLM-5 Turbo vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
GLM-5 Turbo (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and Alibaba. GLM-5 Turbo ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M 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.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is ~208% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for GLM-5 Turbo only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5 Turbo | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags GLM-5 Turbo for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.34/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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 Turbo
$1,960
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,063. 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.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $1.66/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GLM-5 Turbo is $1.66/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-03-01 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Parameters | 744B total, 40B active | 397B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | MoE |
| License | MIT(OSI) | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-11 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5 Turbo | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.20/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5 Turbo | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| 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 vision: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and multimodal input: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share reasoning mode, function calling, tool use, and structured outputs, 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 Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lists $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lower by about $1.07 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5 Turbo when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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 Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B supports 262k 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. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is cheaper, GLM-5 Turbo or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5 Turbo costs $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5 Turbo or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
GLM-5 Turbo is listed under MIT. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 vision, GLM-5 Turbo or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, GLM-5 Turbo or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input 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 Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
GLM-5 Turbo is available on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.