API cost decision in 10 seconds

GLM 5 vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct

Pick Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when budget and context both matter.

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

Budget verdict

Pick Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.64 vs $1.56 for GLM 5, saving $0.92 (59% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
Context-first pickQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
Sample savings$0.9259%
10x traffic gap$9.2

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9.2. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGLM 5Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct$3.96$1
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct$2.52$1.19
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct$10.2$5.59
Cheaper input Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct $0.6 vs $0.09 / 1M

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.51 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85% lower; 6.67x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct $1.92 vs $1.1 / 1M

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.82 cheaper per 1M output tokens (42.7% lower; 1.75x difference).

Larger context Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct 202.75K vs 262.14K

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has 59.39K more context (1.29x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct $1.56 vs $0.64

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.92 cheaper on the standard workload (59% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GLM 5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct 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 Next 80B A3B Instruct has the lower input price; Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has the lower output price; Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.56 for GLM 5 and $0.64 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct.

Best Fit

Choose GLM 5 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Choose Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.64 vs $1.56 for GLM 5, saving $0.92 (59% lower).
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.92 cheaper on the standard workload (59% lower).
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.51 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85% lower; 6.67x difference).
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is $0.82 cheaper per 1M output tokens (42.7% lower; 1.75x difference).
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has 59.39K more context (1.29x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGLM 5
(Z.ai)
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.6$0.09
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$1.92$1.1
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$1.56$0.64
Context Window202.75K262.14K
Release Date
Popularity#38#79

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.64 vs $1.56 for GLM 5, saving $0.92 (59% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructA 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 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • GLM 4 32B can replace GLM 5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
  • GLM 4.7 Flash can replace GLM 5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.26.
  • GLM 4.5 Air can replace GLM 5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.55.
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