Model Comparison
Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs GLM-5.1Which is better in 2026?
GLM-5.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 10.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs GLM-5.1 — which is better?
Gemma 4 26B-A4B (by Google) 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.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.1 is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2026, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam). GLM-5.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 10.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B if…
- cost matters — it's about 10.9x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
Choose GLM-5.1 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 4 26B-A4B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.1 is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2026, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam).
GLM-5.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens) is 10.8x cheaper than GLM-5.1 ($1.40/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens) is 11.0x cheaper than GLM-5.1 ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5.1 is more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5.1 has 728.8B more parameters than Gemma 4 26B-A4B, making it 2892.1% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 4 26B-A4B accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to GLM-5.1's 200,000 tokens. Gemma 4 26B-A4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GLM-5.1 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemma 4 26B-A4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.1 does not.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
GLM-5.1
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 4 26B-A4B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while GLM-5.1 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02, while GLM-5.1 was released on 2026-04-07.
GLM-5.1 is 0 month newer than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.
Apr 2, 2026
3 months ago
Apr 7, 2026
3 months ago
5d newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while GLM-5.1's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 4 26B-A4B's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5.1's cutoff date.
Jan 2025
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Provider Availability
Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita. GLM-5.1 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
GLM-5.1
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5.1
View detailsZhipu AI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 4 26B-A4B and GLM-5.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs GLM-5.1.