API cost decision in 10 seconds
GLM 5.1 vs 🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6
Pick GLM 5.1 for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GLM 5.1 for lower cost; pick Claude Sonnet 4.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.1 is estimated at $2.52 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $7.98 (76% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM 5.1
Context-first pickClaude Sonnet 4.6
Sample savings$7.9876%
10x traffic gap$79.8
Claude Sonnet 4.6 has more context, but GLM 5.1 saves $7.98 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $79.8. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM 5.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GLM 5.1 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM 5.1 | $6.44 | $22.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM 5.1 | $4.06 | $18 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM 5.1 | $16.38 | $78 |
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 5.1 has the lower input price, GLM 5.1 has the lower output price, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.52 for GLM 5.1 and $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6.
Choose GLM 5.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 when you care most about larger context window.
| Feature | GLM 5.1 (Z.ai) | 🔥Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.98 | $3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3.08 | $15 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2.52 | $10.5 |
| Context Window | 202.75K | 1M |
| Release Date | 2026-04-07 | 2026-02-17 |
| Popularity | #4 |
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...
Sonnet 4.6 is Anthropic's most capable Sonnet-class model yet, with frontier performance across coding, agents, and professional work. It excels at iterative development, complex codebase navigation, end-to-end project management with...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM 5.1 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.1 is estimated at $2.52 vs $10.5 for Claude Sonnet 4.6, saving $7.98 (76% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GLM 5.1 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM 5.1 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |