GLM-5.1 vs o3 Mini
GLM-5.1 (2026) and o3 Mini (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and OpenAI. GLM-5.1 ships a 200k-token context window, while o3 Mini ships a 200k-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, GLM-5.1 leads by 6.5 pts. On pricing, GLM-5.1 costs $1.05/1M input tokens versus $1.10/1M 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.
Pick GLM-5.1 for reasoning; o3 Mini is better when coding workflow support matters more.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 200k |
| Cheapest output | $3.50/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 5 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Google-Proof Q&A leader | 2 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- GLM-5.1 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Google-Proof Q&A, ahead by 6.5 points.
- GLM-5.1 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $3.50/1M tokens.
- GLM-5.1 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Local decision data tags GLM-5.1 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags o3 Mini 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-5.1
$1,715
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
o3 Mini
$1,980
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $265. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o3 Mini is $0.90/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GLM-5.1 is $0.90/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-07 | 2025-01-31 |
| Context window | 200k | 200k |
| Parameters | 754B total, 40B active | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | 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 | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.05/1M tokens | $1.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $3.50/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GLM-5.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 86.2 | 79.7 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1475.0 | 1335.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-30. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.