GLM-5 vs Grok 4
GLM-5 (2026) and Grok 4 (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and xAI. GLM-5 ships a 200k-token context window, while Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, GLM-5 leads by 1.1 pts. On pricing, GLM-5 costs $0.72/1M input tokens versus $3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
GLM-5 is ~317% cheaper at $0.72/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
Pricing and availability
| GLM-5 | Grok 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.72/1M tokens | $3/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.3/1M tokens | $15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| GLM-5 | Grok 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GLM-5 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 77.8 | 76.7 |
| τ-bench | 82.1 | 78.9 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, SWE-bench Verified has GLM-5 at 77.8 and Grok 4 at 76.7, with GLM-5 ahead by 1.1 points; τ-bench has GLM-5 at 82.1 and Grok 4 at 78.9, with GLM-5 ahead by 3.2 points. The largest visible gap is 3.2 points on τ-bench, 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 multimodal input: Grok 4, function calling: GLM-5, tool use: GLM-5, and code execution: Grok 4. Both models share reasoning mode 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 lists $0.72/1M input and $2.3/1M output tokens, while Grok 4 lists $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GLM-5 lower by about $5.41 per million blended tokens. Availability is 5 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5 when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support and larger context windows 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 or Grok 4?
Grok 4 supports 256k tokens, while GLM-5 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 or Grok 4?
GLM-5 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5 costs $0.72/1M input and $2.3/1M output tokens. Grok 4 costs $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5 or Grok 4 open source?
GLM-5 is listed under MIT. Grok 4 is listed under Proprietary. 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 multimodal input, GLM-5 or Grok 4?
Grok 4 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.
Which is better for reasoning mode, GLM-5 or Grok 4?
Both GLM-5 and Grok 4 expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run GLM-5 and Grok 4?
GLM-5 is available on Fireworks AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, GCP Vertex AI, and NVIDIA NIM. Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.