Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) vs GLM 5
Pick GLM 5 when budget and context both matter.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GLM 5 when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 is estimated at $1.56 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $0.44 (22% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM 5
Context-first pickGLM 5
Sample savings$0.4422%
10x traffic gap$4.4
GLM 5 is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.4. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM 5 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | GLM 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM 5 | $4 | $3.96 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM 5 | $3.5 | $2.52 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM 5 | $15.5 | $10.2 |
GLM 5 is $1.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (36% lower; 1.56x difference).
GLM 5 has 71.68K more context (1.55x larger).
GLM 5 is $0.44 cheaper on the standard workload (22% lower).
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
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) has the lower input price; GLM 5 has the lower output price; GLM 5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 5 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) and $1.56 for GLM 5.
Choose Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when you care most about lower input-token price.
Choose GLM 5 when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 is estimated at $1.56 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $0.44 (22% lower).
- GLM 5 is $0.44 cheaper on the standard workload (22% lower).
- Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
- GLM 5 is $1.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (36% lower; 1.56x difference).
- GLM 5 has 71.68K more context (1.55x larger).
| Feature | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) (Google) | GLM 5 (Z.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.5 | $0.6 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3 | $1.92 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2 | $1.56 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 202.75K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM 5 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 is estimated at $1.56 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $0.44 (22% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM 5 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GLM 5 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
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- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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