API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs GLM 4 32B

Pick GLM 4 32B for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T18:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GLM 4 32B for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 4 32B is estimated at $0.15 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.85 (85% lower).

Cost-first pickGLM 4 32B

Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Sample savings$0.8585%

10x traffic gap$8.5

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has more context, but GLM 4 32B saves $0.85 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $8.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GLM 4 32B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite	GLM 4 32B
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GLM 4 32B	$2	$0.55
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	GLM 4 32B	$1.75	$0.2
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	GLM 4 32B	$7.75	$0.6

Cheaper input GLM 4 32B $0.25 vs $0.1 / 1M

GLM 4 32B is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).

Cheaper output GLM 4 32B $1.5 vs $0.1 / 1M

GLM 4 32B is $1.4 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite 1.05M vs 128K

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Sample workload GLM 4 32B $1 vs $0.15

GLM 4 32B is $0.85 cheaper on the standard workload (85% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Calculating… Estimated API cost

GLM 4 32B 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 4 32B has the lower input price; GLM 4 32B has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 4 32B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and $0.15 for GLM 4 32B.

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when you care most about larger context window.

Choose GLM 4 32B 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 4 32B is estimated at $0.15 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.85 (85% lower).
GLM 4 32B is $0.85 cheaper on the standard workload (85% lower).
GLM 4 32B is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
GLM 4 32B is $1.4 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite (Google)	GLM 4 32B (Z.ai)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.25	$0.1
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$1.5	$0.1
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1	$0.15
Context Window	1.05M	128K
Release Date	2026-05-07	2025-07-24
Popularity	#24	#147

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	GLM 4 32B	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 4 32B is estimated at $0.15 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.85 (85% lower).
High-volume input processing	GLM 4 32B	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	GLM 4 32B	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

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Google catalog

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Z.ai catalog

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