API cost decision in 10 seconds

GLM 5 Turbo vs Qwen3 235B A22B

Pick Qwen3 235B A22B for lower cost; pick GLM 5 Turbo only if the larger context window matters more.

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

Budget verdict

Pick Qwen3 235B A22B for lower cost; pick GLM 5 Turbo only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $3.2 for GLM 5 Turbo, saving $1.84 (57.3% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3 235B A22B
Context-first pickGLM 5 Turbo
Sample savings$1.8457.3%
10x traffic gap$18.35

GLM 5 Turbo has more context, but Qwen3 235B A22B saves $1.84 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $18.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3 235B A22B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGLM 5 TurboQwen3 235B A22B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3 235B A22B$8$3.19
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3 235B A22B$5.2$2.27
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3 235B A22B$21.2$9.55
Cheaper input Qwen3 235B A22B $1.2 vs $0.455 / 1M

Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.74 cheaper per 1M input tokens (62.1% lower; 2.64x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3 235B A22B $4 vs $1.82 / 1M

Qwen3 235B A22B is $2.18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (54.5% lower; 2.2x difference).

Larger context GLM 5 Turbo 202.75K vs 131.07K

GLM 5 Turbo has 71.68K more context (1.55x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3 235B A22B $3.2 vs $1.36

Qwen3 235B A22B is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (57.3% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GLM 5 Turbo Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3 235B A22B 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

Qwen3 235B A22B has the lower input price; Qwen3 235B A22B has the lower output price; GLM 5 Turbo offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 235B A22B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $3.2 for GLM 5 Turbo and $1.36 for Qwen3 235B A22B.

Best Fit

Choose GLM 5 Turbo when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Qwen3 235B A22B 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, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $3.2 for GLM 5 Turbo, saving $1.84 (57.3% lower).
  • Qwen3 235B A22B is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (57.3% lower).
  • Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.74 cheaper per 1M input tokens (62.1% lower; 2.64x difference).
  • Qwen3 235B A22B is $2.18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (54.5% lower; 2.2x difference).
  • GLM 5 Turbo has 71.68K more context (1.55x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGLM 5 Turbo
(Z.ai)		Qwen3 235B A22B
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$1.2$0.455
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$4$1.82
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$3.2$1.36
Context Window202.75K131.07K
Release Date
Popularity#85#131

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3 235B A22BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $3.2 for GLM 5 Turbo, saving $1.84 (57.3% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3 235B A22BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3 235B A22BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGLM 5 TurboA 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 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • GLM 4 32B can replace GLM 5 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
  • GLM 4.7 Flash can replace GLM 5 Turbo when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.26.
  • GLM 4.5 Air can replace GLM 5 Turbo 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.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 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.

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Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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Z.ai catalog

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

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Qwen catalog

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

Open Qwen models
GLM 5 Turbo

GLM-5 Turbo is a new model from Z.ai designed for fast inference and strong performance in agent-driven environments such as OpenClaw scenarios. It is deeply optimized for real-world agent workflows...

Qwen3 235B A22B

Qwen3-235B-A22B is a 235B parameter mixture-of-experts (MoE) model developed by Qwen, activating 22B parameters per forward pass. It supports seamless switching between a "thinking" mode for complex reasoning, math, and...