GLM 4.5
$0.60 per 1M input tokens and $2.20 per 1M output tokens · 131K context · tools, reasoning, JSON, open weights.
Prices checked Oct 21, 2026 · tracked by LLM Cost Index since Oct 21, 2026
What GLM 4.5 costs per month
Estimated monthly bill for typical workloads, using the cached-input price for repeated context. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
| Workload | Per month |
|---|---|
| Customer chatbot 1,000 conversations a day, 8 turns each | $295 |
| Document Q&A (RAG) 500 questions a day over retrieved documents | $66.09 |
| Coding / tool-using agent 200 tasks a day, long tool-heavy contexts | $137 |
| Content generation 30 long articles a day | $6.57 |
| Classification / extraction 100,000 short items a day | $639 |
Price history
We started tracking GLM 4.5 on Oct 21, 2026; the chart appears as soon as there is a second data point. See all recent price changes.
Cheaper alternatives to GLM 4.5
Models with the same tool calling, structured output for at least 20% less (3:1 input/output mix), most capable first.
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiMo-V2.6-Pro Xiaomi | $0.435 | $0.87 | 1.05M | visionaudiotoolsreasoningJSONopen weights |
| GLM 5.3 Z.ai | $0.079 | $1.40 | 1.05M | toolsreasoningJSONopen weights |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 Anthropic | $0.10 | $0.50 | 1M | visiontoolsreasoningJSON |
| GLM 5.3 Flash Z.ai | $0.041 | $0.12 | 1.05M | visiontoolsreasoningJSONopen weights |
| Ling 3.1 Flash inclusionAI | $0.075 | $0.225 | 262K | toolsreasoningJSON |
What to switch to before GLM 4.5 is retired
Replacements with the same must-have capabilities (tool calling) and enough context, most capable first. See all models being retired.
| Replacement | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Price vs today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 | $4.00 | $20.00 | 700% more |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $2.00 | $10.00 | 300% more |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | $10.00 | $50.00 | 1900% more |
| GPT-6 Astra | $10.00 | $50.00 | 1900% more |
How to pay less for GLM 4.5
For a customer chatbot (1,000 conversations a day, 8 turns each) that costs $401 a month at list price without caching:
| Option | Per month | You save |
|---|---|---|
| Move to MiMo-V2.6-Pro (similar capabilities) | $136 | $264 (66%) |
| Use prompt caching (60% of input cached) | $295 | $106 (26%) |
Other workloads: cut-your-bill tool for GLM 4.5.
Specifications
| Model ID | z-ai/glm-4.5 |
| Input | text |
| Output | text |
| Tool calling | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes |
| Reasoning mode | Yes |
| Open weights | Yes — zai-org/GLM-4.5 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-12-31 |
| Released | Jul 25, 2025 |
FAQ
- How much does GLM 4.5 cost?
- $0.60 per million input tokens and $2.20 per million output tokens; cached input costs $0.11 per million. Prices as of Oct 21, 2026.
- What is the context window of GLM 4.5?
- 131K tokens, with up to 98K output tokens per response.
- Does GLM 4.5 support images, tools and structured output?
- Images as input: no. Tool calling: yes. Structured (JSON) output: yes. Reasoning mode: yes.
- What are cheaper alternatives to GLM 4.5?
- Models with the same key capabilities for at least 20% less include MiMo-V2.6-Pro ($0.435 / $0.87), GLM 5.3 ($0.079 / $1.40), Claude Haiku 5.5 ($0.10 / $0.50).
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