API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥MiniMax M2.7 vs 🔥GLM 5.1

Pick MiniMax M2.7 for lower cost; pick GLM 5.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated: 2026-05-15T02:08:14Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick MiniMax M2.7 for lower cost; pick GLM 5.1 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.7 is estimated at $0.86 vs $2.52 for GLM 5.1, saving $1.66 (65.9% lower).

Cost-first pickMiniMax M2.7

Context-first pickGLM 5.1

Sample savings$1.6665.9%

10x traffic gap$16.6

GLM 5.1 has more context, but MiniMax M2.7 saves $1.66 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $16.6. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cheaper input MiniMax M2.7 $0.26 vs $0.98 / 1M

MiniMax M2.7 is $0.72 cheaper per 1M input tokens (73.5% lower; 3.77x difference).

Cheaper output MiniMax M2.7 $1.2 vs $3.08 / 1M

MiniMax M2.7 is $1.88 cheaper per 1M output tokens (61% lower; 2.57x difference).

Larger context GLM 5.1 196.61K vs 202.75K

GLM 5.1 has 6.14K more context (1.03x larger).

Sample workload MiniMax M2.7 $0.86 vs $2.52

MiniMax M2.7 is $1.66 cheaper on the standard workload (65.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

MiniMax M2.7 Calculating… Estimated API cost

GLM 5.1 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

MiniMax M2.7 has the lower input price; MiniMax M2.7 has the lower output price; GLM 5.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, MiniMax M2.7 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.86 for MiniMax M2.7 and $2.52 for GLM 5.1.

Best Fit

Choose MiniMax M2.7 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GLM 5.1 when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.7 is estimated at $0.86 vs $2.52 for GLM 5.1, saving $1.66 (65.9% lower).
MiniMax M2.7 is $1.66 cheaper on the standard workload (65.9% lower).
MiniMax M2.7 is $0.72 cheaper per 1M input tokens (73.5% lower; 3.77x difference).
MiniMax M2.7 is $1.88 cheaper per 1M output tokens (61% lower; 2.57x difference).
GLM 5.1 has 6.14K more context (1.03x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	🔥MiniMax M2.7 (MiniMax)	🔥GLM 5.1 (Z.ai)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.26	$0.98
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$1.2	$3.08
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.86	$2.52
Context Window	196.61K	202.75K
Release Date	2026-03-18	2026-04-07
Popularity Rank current rank	#12	#20

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	MiniMax M2.7	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.7 is estimated at $0.86 vs $2.52 for GLM 5.1, saving $1.66 (65.9% lower).
High-volume input processing	MiniMax M2.7	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	MiniMax M2.7	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GLM 5.1	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

MiniMax M2.5 (free) can replace MiniMax M2.7 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
MiniMax M2.5 can replace MiniMax M2.7 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.72.
MiniMax-01 can replace MiniMax M2.7 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.75.
MiniMax M2 can replace MiniMax M2.7 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.76.

Larger context near this budget

Grok 4.1 Fast offers 2M context with $0.45 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4 Fast offers 2M context with $0.45 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

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

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models ranked 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.

Open provider hubs

MiniMax catalog

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

Open MiniMax models

Z.ai catalog

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

Open Z.ai models

MiniMax M2.7

MiniMax-M2.7 is a next-generation large language model designed for autonomous, real-world productivity and continuous improvement. Built to actively participate in its own evolution, M2.7 integrates advanced agentic capabilities through multi-agent...

GLM 5.1

GLM-5.1 delivers a major leap in coding capability, with particularly significant gains in handling long-horizon tasks. Unlike previous models built around minute-level interactions, GLM-5.1 can work independently and continuously on...