API cost decision in 10 seconds

Claude Sonnet 4 vs GLM 5 Turbo

Pick GLM 5 Turbo for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GLM 5 Turbo for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 Turbo is estimated at $3.2 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4, saving $7.3 (69.5% lower).

Cost-first pickGLM 5 Turbo
Context-first pickClaude Sonnet 4
Sample savings$7.369.5%
10x traffic gap$73

Claude Sonnet 4 has more context, but GLM 5 Turbo saves $7.3 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $73. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GLM 5 Turbo stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickClaude Sonnet 4GLM 5 Turbo
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGLM 5 Turbo$22.5$8
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGLM 5 Turbo$18$5.2
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGLM 5 Turbo$78$21.2
Cheaper input GLM 5 Turbo $3 vs $1.2 / 1M

GLM 5 Turbo is $1.8 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).

Cheaper output GLM 5 Turbo $15 vs $4 / 1M

GLM 5 Turbo is $11 cheaper per 1M output tokens (73.3% lower; 3.75x difference).

Larger context Claude Sonnet 4 1M vs 202.75K

Claude Sonnet 4 has 797.25K more context (4.93x larger).

Sample workload GLM 5 Turbo $10.5 vs $3.2

GLM 5 Turbo is $7.3 cheaper on the standard workload (69.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Claude Sonnet 4 Calculating… Estimated API cost
GLM 5 Turbo Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

GLM 5 Turbo has the lower input price; GLM 5 Turbo has the lower output price; Claude Sonnet 4 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 5 Turbo is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4 and $3.2 for GLM 5 Turbo.

Best Fit

Choose Claude Sonnet 4 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose GLM 5 Turbo when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 Turbo is estimated at $3.2 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4, saving $7.3 (69.5% lower).
  • GLM 5 Turbo is $7.3 cheaper on the standard workload (69.5% lower).
  • GLM 5 Turbo is $1.8 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
  • GLM 5 Turbo is $11 cheaper per 1M output tokens (73.3% lower; 3.75x difference).
  • Claude Sonnet 4 has 797.25K more context (4.93x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureClaude Sonnet 4
(Anthropic)		GLM 5 Turbo
(Z.ai)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$3$1.2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$15$4
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$10.5$3.2
Context Window1M202.75K
Release Date
Popularity#60#85

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGLM 5 TurboOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 Turbo is estimated at $3.2 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4, saving $7.3 (69.5% lower).
High-volume input processingGLM 5 TurboLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGLM 5 TurboLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workClaude Sonnet 4A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Claude 3 Haiku can replace Claude Sonnet 4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.88.
  • Claude 3.5 Haiku can replace Claude Sonnet 4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.8.
  • Anthropic Claude Haiku Latest can replace Claude Sonnet 4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
  • Claude Haiku 4.5 can replace Claude Sonnet 4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $3.5.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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Anthropic catalog

Review all tracked Anthropic models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Anthropic models

Z.ai catalog

Check other Z.ai models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Z.ai models
Claude Sonnet 4

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly enhances the capabilities of its predecessor, Sonnet 3.7, excelling in both coding and reasoning tasks with improved precision and controllability. Achieving state-of-the-art performance on SWE-bench (72.7%),...

GLM 5 Turbo

GLM-5 Turbo is a new model from Z.ai designed for fast inference and strong performance in agent-driven environments such as OpenClaw scenarios. It is deeply optimized for real-world agent workflows...