Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8BWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing GLM-5 and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) 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.
On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is roughly 12.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GLM-5 if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B if…
- cost matters — it's about 12.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GLM-5 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 14.3x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 10.7x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5 is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5 has 736.0B more parameters than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B, making it 9200.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to GLM-5's 200,000 tokens. GLM-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GLM-5
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B was released on 2024-03-15.
GLM-5 is 23 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
1.9yr newerMar 15, 2024
2.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-10-01, while GLM-5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B's training data extends to 2024-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5's cutoff date.
—
Oct 2024
Provider Availability
GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is available from Google.
GLM-5
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.