API cost decision in 10 seconds

GLM 5.1 vs NewQwen3.7 Max

Pick GLM 5.1 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.7 Max 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 5.1 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.7 Max 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 $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $3.73 (59.7% lower).

Cost-first pickGLM 5.1

Context-first pickQwen3.7 Max

Sample savings$3.7359.7%

10x traffic gap$37.3

Qwen3.7 Max has more context, but GLM 5.1 saves $3.73 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $37.3. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GLM 5.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	GLM 5.1	Qwen3.7 Max
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GLM 5.1	$6.44	$16.25
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	GLM 5.1	$4.06	$10
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	GLM 5.1	$16.38	$40

Cheaper input GLM 5.1 $0.98 vs $2.5 / 1M

GLM 5.1 is $1.52 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60.8% lower; 2.55x difference).

Cheaper output GLM 5.1 $3.08 vs $7.5 / 1M

GLM 5.1 is $4.42 cheaper per 1M output tokens (58.9% lower; 2.44x difference).

Larger context Qwen3.7 Max 202.75K vs 1M

Qwen3.7 Max has 797.25K more context (4.93x larger).

Sample workload GLM 5.1 $2.52 vs $6.25

GLM 5.1 is $3.73 cheaper on the standard workload (59.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

GLM 5.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Qwen3.7 Max 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 5.1 has the lower input price; GLM 5.1 has the lower output price; Qwen3.7 Max offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GLM 5.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.52 for GLM 5.1 and $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max.

Best Fit

Choose GLM 5.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Qwen3.7 Max when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5.1 is estimated at $2.52 vs $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $3.73 (59.7% lower).
GLM 5.1 is $3.73 cheaper on the standard workload (59.7% lower).
GLM 5.1 is $1.52 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60.8% lower; 2.55x difference).
GLM 5.1 is $4.42 cheaper per 1M output tokens (58.9% lower; 2.44x difference).
Qwen3.7 Max has 797.25K more context (4.93x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	GLM 5.1 (Z.ai)	NewQwen3.7 Max (Qwen)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.98	$2.5
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$3.08	$7.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$2.52	$6.25
Context Window	202.75K	1M
Release Date	2026-04-07	2026-05-21
Popularity	#23	#48

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 $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $3.73 (59.7% lower).
High-volume input processing	GLM 5.1	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents 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	Qwen3.7 Max	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

GLM 4.5 Air (free) can replace GLM 5.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
GLM 4 32B can replace GLM 5.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
GLM 4.7 Flash can replace GLM 5.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.26.
GLM 4.5 Air can replace GLM 5.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.54.

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.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Z.ai catalog

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Qwen catalog

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Qwen3.7-Max is the flagship model in Alibaba's Qwen3.7 series. It supports text input and output and is designed for agent-centric workloads, with particular strengths in coding, office and productivity tasks,...