GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for input tokens while Kimi K2.6 costs $0.73 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥Kimi K2.6 vs GLM 4.5 Air (free)
Pick GLM 4.5 Air (free) for lower cost; pick Kimi K2.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GLM 4.5 Air (free) for lower cost; pick Kimi K2.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 4.5 Air (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.48 for Kimi K2.6, saving $2.48 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM 4.5 Air (free)
Context-first pickKimi K2.6
Sample savings$2.48100%
10x traffic gap$24.75
Kimi K2.6 has more context, but GLM 4.5 Air (free) saves $2.48 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $24.75. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM 4.5 Air (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Kimi K2.6 | GLM 4.5 Air (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | $5.39 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | $4.22 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | $18.18 | $0 |
GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for output tokens while Kimi K2.6 costs $3.49 per 1M tokens.
Kimi K2.6 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.48.
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 4.5 Air (free) has the lower input price; GLM 4.5 Air (free) has the lower output price; Kimi K2.6 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 4.5 Air (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.48 for Kimi K2.6 and $0 for GLM 4.5 Air (free).
Choose Kimi K2.6 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose GLM 4.5 Air (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 4.5 Air (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.48 for Kimi K2.6, saving $2.48 (100% lower).
- GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $2.48.
- GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for input tokens while Kimi K2.6 costs $0.73 per 1M tokens.
- GLM 4.5 Air (free) is free for output tokens while Kimi K2.6 costs $3.49 per 1M tokens.
- Kimi K2.6 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | 🔥Kimi K2.6 (MoonshotAI) | GLM 4.5 Air (free) (Z.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.73 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3.49 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2.48 | $0 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 131.07K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #12 | #41 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 4.5 Air (free) is estimated at $0 vs $2.48 for Kimi K2.6, saving $2.48 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM 4.5 Air (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Kimi K2.6 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Kimi K2.5 can replace Kimi K2.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.35.
- Kimi K2 0711 can replace Kimi K2.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.72.
- Kimi K2 0905 can replace Kimi K2.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.85.
- Kimi K2 Thinking can replace Kimi K2.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.85.
- 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.
- 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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