Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs GLM-5.2Which is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5.2 is 2.1x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs GLM-5.2 — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and GLM-5.2 (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.
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 5 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GPQA, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Marathon, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while GLM-5.2 is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, GLM-5.2 is roughly 2.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GLM-5.2 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Grok 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose GLM-5.2 if…
- cost matters — it's about 2.1x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 5 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GPQA, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Marathon, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while GLM-5.2 is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 2.1x more expensive than GLM-5.2 ($0.95/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than GLM-5.2 ($3.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than GLM-5.2.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5.2 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Grok 4.5's 500,000 tokens. Only GLM-5.2 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.2 does not.
Grok 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Grok 4.5
GLM-5.2
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while GLM-5.2 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-08, while GLM-5.2 was released on 2026-06-16.
Grok 4.5 is 1 month newer than GLM-5.2.
Jul 8, 2026
1 weeks ago
3w newerJun 16, 2026
1 months 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
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. GLM-5.2 is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, FriendliAI, Novita, Together, ZAI.
Grok 4.5
GLM-5.2
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5.2
View detailsZhipu AI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs GLM-5.2.