API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥GPT-5.4 vs GLM 4 32B

Pick GLM 4 32B for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T20:08:05Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GLM 4 32B for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 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 $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.85 (98.5% lower).

Cost-first pickGLM 4 32B

Context-first pickGPT-5.4

Sample savings$9.8598.5%

10x traffic gap$98.5

GPT-5.4 has more context, but GLM 4 32B saves $9.85 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $98.5. 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	GPT-5.4	GLM 4 32B
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GLM 4 32B	$20	$0.55
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	GLM 4 32B	$17.5	$0.2
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	GLM 4 32B	$77.5	$0.6

Cheaper input GLM 4 32B $2.5 vs $0.1 / 1M

GLM 4 32B is $2.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).

Cheaper output GLM 4 32B $15 vs $0.1 / 1M

GLM 4 32B is $14.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.3% lower; 150x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 1.05M vs 128K

GPT-5.4 has 922K more context (8.2x larger).

Sample workload GLM 4 32B $10 vs $0.15

GLM 4 32B is $9.85 cheaper on the standard workload (98.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

GPT-5.4 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; GPT-5.4 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 $10 for GPT-5.4 and $0.15 for GLM 4 32B.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.4 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 $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.85 (98.5% lower).
GLM 4 32B is $9.85 cheaper on the standard workload (98.5% lower).
GLM 4 32B is $2.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96% lower; 25x difference).
GLM 4 32B is $14.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.3% lower; 150x difference).
GPT-5.4 has 922K more context (8.2x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	🔥GPT-5.4 (OpenAI)	GLM 4 32B (Z.ai)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$2.5	$0.1
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$15	$0.1
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$10	$0.15
Context Window	1.05M	128K
Release Date	2026-03-05	2025-07-24
Popularity	#19	#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 $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.85 (98.5% 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	GPT-5.4	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.

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OpenAI catalog

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