GLM Latest is $1.44 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewNano Banana 2.1 vs GLM Latest
Pick GLM Latest 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 Latest when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM Latest is estimated at $2.26 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $2.99 (57% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM Latest
Context-first pickGLM Latest
Sample savings$2.9957%
10x traffic gap$29.9
GLM Latest is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $29.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM Latest stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Nano Banana 2.1 | GLM Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM Latest | $11.25 | $2.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM Latest | $9 | $4.46 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM Latest | $39 | $22.06 |
GLM Latest is $3.1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (41.3% lower; 1.7x difference).
GLM Latest has 983.04K more context (16x larger).
GLM Latest is $2.99 cheaper on the standard workload (57% 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
GLM Latest has the lower input price; GLM Latest has the lower output price; GLM Latest offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM Latest is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1 and $2.26 for GLM Latest.
Choose Nano Banana 2.1 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
Choose GLM Latest 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 Latest is estimated at $2.26 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $2.99 (57% lower).
- GLM Latest is $2.99 cheaper on the standard workload (57% lower).
- GLM Latest is $1.44 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).
- GLM Latest is $3.1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (41.3% lower; 1.7x difference).
- GLM Latest has 983.04K more context (16x larger).
| Feature | NewNano Banana 2.1 (Google) | GLM Latest (Z.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1.5 | $0.06 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $7.5 | $4.4 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $5.25 | $2.26 |
| Context Window | 65.54K | 1.05M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM Latest | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM Latest is estimated at $2.26 vs $5.25 for Nano Banana 2.1, saving $2.99 (57% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GLM Latest | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM Latest | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GLM Latest | 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 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Nano Banana 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.47 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Step 5 Preview · StepFun · #2
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #3
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash · Xiaomi · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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