Model Comparison

MAI-Thinking-1 vs GLM-5.2Which is better in 2026?

GLM-5.2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: MAI-Thinking-1 vs GLM-5.2 — which is better?

MAI-Thinking-1 (by Microsoft) 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.

MAI-Thinking-1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.2 is better at 4 benchmarks (AIME 2026, GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, SWE-Bench Pro). GLM-5.2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose MAI-Thinking-1 if…

  • you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem

Choose GLM-5.2 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

MAI-Thinking-1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.2 is better at 4 benchmarks (AIME 2026, GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, SWE-Bench Pro).

GLM-5.2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

247.0B diff

MAI-Thinking-1 has 247.0B more parameters than GLM-5.2, making it 32.8% larger.

Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
1.0Tparameters
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.2
753.0Bparameters
1000.0B
MAI-Thinking-1
753.0B
GLM-5.2

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GLM-5.2 specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only GLM-5.2 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.2
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

MAI-Thinking-1 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.

MAI-Thinking-1

Proprietary

Closed source

GLM-5.2

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02, while GLM-5.2 was released on 2026-06-16.

GLM-5.2 is 0 month newer than MAI-Thinking-1.

MAI-Thinking-1

Jun 2, 2026

1 months ago

GLM-5.2

Jun 16, 2026

1 months ago

2w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Microsoft

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Zhipu AI
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher AIME 2026 score (99.2% vs 94.5%)
Higher GPQA score (91.2% vs 84.2%)
Higher HMMT Feb 26 score (92.5% vs 84.9%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (62.1% vs 52.8%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against MAI-Thinking-1 and GLM-5.2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

MAI-Thinking-1
✓ Preferred
GLM-5.2
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.2

FAQ

Common questions about MAI-Thinking-1 vs GLM-5.2.

Which is better, MAI-Thinking-1 or GLM-5.2?

GLM-5.2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MAI-Thinking-1 is made by Microsoft and GLM-5.2 is made by Zhipu AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does MAI-Thinking-1 compare to GLM-5.2 in benchmarks?

MAI-Thinking-1 scores LongFact: 98.0%, AIME 2025: 97.0%, AIME 2026: 94.5%, GraphWalks: 90.0%, AIR-Bench: 88.0%. GLM-5.2 scores AIME 2026: 99.2%, HMMT 2025: 94.4%, HMMT Feb 26: 92.5%, GPQA: 91.2%, IMO-AnswerBench: 91.0%.

What are the context window sizes for MAI-Thinking-1 and GLM-5.2?

MAI-Thinking-1 supports an unknown number of tokens and GLM-5.2 supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between MAI-Thinking-1 and GLM-5.2?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes MAI-Thinking-1 and GLM-5.2?

MAI-Thinking-1 is developed by Microsoft and GLM-5.2 is developed by Zhipu AI.

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