Model Comparison

Claude Opus 4.5 vs GLM-5.1Which is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. GLM-5.1 is 4.7x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Opus 4.5 vs GLM-5.1 — which is better?

Claude Opus 4.5 (by Anthropic) and GLM-5.1 (by Zhipu AI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveBench), while GLM-5.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (MCP Atlas, Terminal-Bench 2.0). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

On price, GLM-5.1 is roughly 4.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Claude Opus 4.5 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output

Choose GLM-5.1 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 4.7x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveBench), while GLM-5.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (MCP Atlas, Terminal-Bench 2.0).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GLM-5.1 costs less

For input processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 3.6x more expensive than GLM-5.1 ($1.40/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 5.7x more expensive than GLM-5.1 ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.5 is more expensive than GLM-5.1.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$25.00
Best providerAnthropic
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.1
Input tokens$1.40
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerFriendliAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. GLM-5.1 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.1
Input200,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Opus 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.1 does not.

Claude Opus 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Opus 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GLM-5.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Opus 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while GLM-5.1 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Opus 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

GLM-5.1

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Opus 4.5 was released on 2025-11-24, while GLM-5.1 was released on 2026-04-07.

GLM-5.1 is 4 months newer than Claude Opus 4.5.

Claude Opus 4.5

Nov 24, 2025

7 months ago

GLM-5.1

Apr 7, 2026

3 months ago

4mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Claude Opus 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-31, while GLM-5.1's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Claude Opus 4.5's training data extends to 2025-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5.1's cutoff date.

Claude Opus 4.5

Mar 2025

GLM-5.1

—

Provider Availability

Claude Opus 4.5 is available from Anthropic. GLM-5.1 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI.

Claude Opus 4.5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $25.00/1M

GLM-5.1

friendli logo
FriendliAI
Input Price:Input: $1.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
z logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $1.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (87.0% vs 86.2%)
Higher LiveBench score (76.0% vs 70.2%)
Zhipu AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MCP Atlas score (71.8% vs 62.3%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (69.0% vs 59.3%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 4.5 and GLM-5.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Opus 4.5
✓ Preferred
GLM-5.1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.1

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Opus 4.5 vs GLM-5.1.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.5 or GLM-5.1?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Claude Opus 4.5 is made by Anthropic and GLM-5.1 is made by Zhipu AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Opus 4.5 compare to GLM-5.1 in benchmarks?

Claude Opus 4.5 scores Tau2 Telecom: 98.2%, MMMLU: 90.8%, Tau2 Retail: 88.9%, GPQA: 87.0%, SWE-Bench Verified: 80.9%. GLM-5.1 scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2026: 95.3%, HMMT 2025: 94.0%, GPQA: 86.2%, IMO-AnswerBench: 83.8%.

Is Claude Opus 4.5 cheaper than GLM-5.1?

GLM-5.1 is 3.6x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output via anthropic. GLM-5.1 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output via friendli.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Opus 4.5 and GLM-5.1?

Claude Opus 4.5 supports 200K tokens and GLM-5.1 supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Opus 4.5 and GLM-5.1?

Key differences include input pricing ($5.00 vs $1.40/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Opus 4.5 and GLM-5.1?

Claude Opus 4.5 is developed by Anthropic and GLM-5.1 is developed by Zhipu AI.

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