GLM 5.2 (free) is free for input tokens while Aion-3.0-Mini costs $0.7 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Aion-3.0-Mini vs GLM 5.2 (free)
Pick GLM 5.2 (free) when budget and context both matter.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GLM 5.2 (free) when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.4 for Aion-3.0-Mini, saving $1.4 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM 5.2 (free)
Context-first pickGLM 5.2 (free)
Sample savings$1.4100%
10x traffic gap$14
GLM 5.2 (free) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $14. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM 5.2 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Aion-3.0-Mini | GLM 5.2 (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM 5.2 (free) | $4.2 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM 5.2 (free) | $2.1 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM 5.2 (free) | $7.7 | $0 |
GLM 5.2 (free) is free for output tokens while Aion-3.0-Mini costs $1.4 per 1M tokens.
GLM 5.2 (free) has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
GLM 5.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.4.
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
GLM 5.2 (free) has the lower input price; GLM 5.2 (free) has the lower output price; GLM 5.2 (free) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 5.2 (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.4 for Aion-3.0-Mini and $0 for GLM 5.2 (free).
Choose Aion-3.0-Mini when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
Choose GLM 5.2 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.4 for Aion-3.0-Mini, saving $1.4 (100% lower).
- GLM 5.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.4.
- GLM 5.2 (free) is free for input tokens while Aion-3.0-Mini costs $0.7 per 1M tokens.
- GLM 5.2 (free) is free for output tokens while Aion-3.0-Mini costs $1.4 per 1M tokens.
- GLM 5.2 (free) has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
| Feature | Aion-3.0-Mini (AionLabs) | GLM 5.2 (free) (Z.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.7 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.4 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.4 | $0 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 256K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM 5.2 (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.4 for Aion-3.0-Mini, saving $1.4 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GLM 5.2 (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM 5.2 (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GLM 5.2 (free) | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsAionLabs catalog
Review all tracked AionLabs models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open AionLabs modelsZ.ai catalog
Check other Z.ai models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Z.ai modelsAion-3.0 Mini is a multi-model roleplaying and storytelling system from AionLabs, built on the DeepSeek family of models. It uses a collaborative generation process in which multiple specialized models each...
GLM 5.2 is a large-scale reasoning model from Z.ai. It supports text input and output with a 1M-token context window, and is suited for long-horizon agent workflows, project-level software engineering,...