Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Phi 4Which is better in 2026?
Comparing GLM-5 and Phi 4 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Phi 4 — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Phi 4 (by Microsoft) 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, Phi 4 is roughly 17.7x 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 Phi 4 if…
- cost matters — it's about 17.7x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 and Phi 4 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 Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 22.9x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5 is more expensive than Phi 4.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5 has 729.3B more parameters than Phi 4, making it 4961.2% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,000 tokens. GLM-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under MIT.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
MIT
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12.
GLM-5 is 14 months newer than Phi 4.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
1.2yr newerDec 12, 2024
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while GLM-5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Provider Availability
GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.
GLM-5
Phi 4
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Phi 4
View detailsMicrosoft
Detailed Comparison
FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Phi 4.