API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewBeam 1.0 501B A23B vs GLM Flash Latest

Pick GLM Flash Latest when budget is the priority.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GLM Flash Latest when budget is the priority.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM Flash Latest is estimated at $0.35 vs $0.75 for Beam 1.0 501B A23B, saving $0.4 (52.9% lower).

Cost-first pickGLM Flash Latest
Context-first pickBoth models
Sample savings$0.452.9%
10x traffic gap$3.97

The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $3.97. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GLM Flash Latest stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickBeam 1.0 501B A23BGLM Flash Latest
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGLM Flash Latest$1.75$0.46
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGLM Flash Latest$1.25$0.68
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGLM Flash Latest$5.25$3.28
Cheaper input GLM Flash Latest $0.25 vs $0.0274 / 1M

GLM Flash Latest is $0.22 cheaper per 1M input tokens (89% lower; 9.12x difference).

Cheaper output GLM Flash Latest $1 vs $0.6512 / 1M

GLM Flash Latest is $0.35 cheaper per 1M output tokens (34.9% lower; 1.54x difference).

Larger context Tie 1.05M vs 1.05M

Both models report the same context window at 1.05M tokens.

Sample workload GLM Flash Latest $0.75 vs $0.35

GLM Flash Latest is $0.4 cheaper on the standard workload (52.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Beam 1.0 501B A23B Calculating… Estimated API cost
GLM Flash Latest 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 Flash Latest has the lower input price; GLM Flash Latest has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM Flash Latest is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.75 for Beam 1.0 501B A23B and $0.35 for GLM Flash Latest.

Best Fit

Choose Beam 1.0 501B A23B when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Choose GLM Flash Latest 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 Flash Latest is estimated at $0.35 vs $0.75 for Beam 1.0 501B A23B, saving $0.4 (52.9% lower).
  • GLM Flash Latest is $0.4 cheaper on the standard workload (52.9% lower).
  • GLM Flash Latest is $0.22 cheaper per 1M input tokens (89% lower; 9.12x difference).
  • GLM Flash Latest is $0.35 cheaper per 1M output tokens (34.9% lower; 1.54x difference).
  • Both models report the same context window at 1.05M tokens.
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewBeam 1.0 501B A23B
(Reflection)		GLM Flash Latest
(Z.ai)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.25$0.0274
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1$0.6512
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.75$0.35
Context Window1.05M1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGLM Flash LatestOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM Flash Latest is estimated at $0.35 vs $0.75 for Beam 1.0 501B A23B, saving $0.4 (52.9% lower).
High-volume input processingGLM Flash LatestLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGLM Flash LatestLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workTieA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • GLM 5.2 (free) can replace GLM Flash Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • GLM 4.5 Air (free) can replace GLM Flash Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) can replace GLM Flash Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.14.
  • GLM 4 32B can replace GLM Flash Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
  • MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-6 Luna offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-6 Luna Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted 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.

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Reflection catalog

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

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Z.ai catalog

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

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Beam 1.0 501B A23B

Beam 1.0 is Reflection's open-weight reasoning model for coding and long-horizon agentic workflows. It uses a sparse mixture-of-experts architecture with 501B total and 23B active parameters per token, and a...

GLM Flash Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the GLM Flash family.