GLM-5.1 vs Mixtral 8x7B
GLM-5.1 (2026) and Mixtral 8x7B (2023) are frontier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and MistralAI. GLM-5.1 ships a 200k-token context window, while Mixtral 8x7B ships a 32K-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, GLM-5.1 leads by 32 pts. On pricing, Mixtral 8x7B costs $0.15/1M input tokens versus $0.95/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Mixtral 8x7B is ~533% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for GLM-5.1 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2026-03-27 | 2023-12-11 |
| Context window | 200k | 32K |
| Parameters | 744B total, 40-44B active | 8x7B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | mixture of experts |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| GLM-5.1 | Mixtral 8x7B | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.95/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Output price | $3.15/1M tokens | $0.45/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| GLM-5.1 | Mixtral 8x7B | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GLM-5.1 | Mixtral 8x7B |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 86.8 | 54.8 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has GLM-5.1 at 86.8 and Mixtral 8x7B at 54.8, with GLM-5.1 ahead by 32 points. The largest visible gap is 32 points on Google-Proof Q&A, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: GLM-5.1, function calling: GLM-5.1, tool use: GLM-5.1, structured outputs: GLM-5.1, and code execution: GLM-5.1. 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-5.1 lists $0.95/1M input and $3.15/1M output tokens, while Mixtral 8x7B lists $0.15/1M input and $0.45/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mixtral 8x7B lower by about $1.37 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 18, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5.1 when coding workflow support and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Mixtral 8x7B 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GLM-5.1 or Mixtral 8x7B?
GLM-5.1 supports 200k tokens, while Mixtral 8x7B supports 32K 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-5.1 or Mixtral 8x7B?
Mixtral 8x7B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5.1 costs $0.95/1M input and $3.15/1M output tokens. Mixtral 8x7B costs $0.15/1M input and $0.45/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5.1 or Mixtral 8x7B open source?
GLM-5.1 is listed under Proprietary. Mixtral 8x7B 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 reasoning mode, GLM-5.1 or Mixtral 8x7B?
GLM-5.1 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-5.1 or Mixtral 8x7B?
GLM-5.1 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-5.1 and Mixtral 8x7B?
GLM-5.1 is available on Z.ai and OpenRouter. Mixtral 8x7B is available on Databricks Foundation Model Serving, NVIDIA NIM, GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and OctoAI API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.