Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Llama 3.2 90B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing GLM-5 and Llama 3.2 90B Instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Llama 3.2 90B Instruct — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Llama 3.2 90B Instruct (by Meta) 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, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is roughly 4.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GLM-5 also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GLM-5 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
Choose Llama 3.2 90B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 4.3x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 and Llama 3.2 90B Instruct 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 2.9x more expensive than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 8.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5 is more expensive than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5 has 654.0B more parameters than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct, making it 726.7% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Llama 3.2 90B Instruct's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GLM-5
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct uses Llama 3.2.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Llama 3.2
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.
GLM-5 is 17 months newer than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
1.4yr newerSep 25, 2024
1.7 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Bedrock, Fireworks, Together, Hyperbolic.
GLM-5
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Llama 3.2 90B Instruct.