Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Qwen2.5 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing GLM-5 and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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, Qwen2.5 72B 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 Qwen2.5 72B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 4.3x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 and Qwen2.5 72B 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 Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 8.0x more expensive than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5 is more expensive than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5 has 671.3B more parameters than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct, making it 923.4% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Qwen2.5 72B Instruct's 131,072 tokens. GLM-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is limited to 8,192 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct uses Qwen.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Qwen
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct was released on 2024-09-19.
GLM-5 is 17 months newer than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
1.4yr newerSep 19, 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. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.
GLM-5
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.