Pick GLM 5 for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows or complex systems design and backend reasoning. Pick Grok 4 for 256k context with native tool use or real-time data via x integration. Choose GLM 5 if you need self-hosting or data privacy; Grok 4 if you want a managed API.
GLM 5 (Z.ai, China) and Grok 4 (xAI, US) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. GLM 5 is z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. Grok 4 is xAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. They diverge most on price, context window and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Price: GLM 5 is about 3× cheaper on input ($1/$3.2 per 1M tokens vs $3/$15 per 1M tokens) — meaningful once you are processing millions of tokens a month.
Context window: Grok 4 holds 1.3× more — 256K (~384 pages) vs 200K (~300 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Recency: GLM 5 is the newer model by about 7 months (released February 11, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Ecosystem: this is a China-vs-US matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Specifications
Spec
GLM 5
Grok 4
Provider
Z.ai (China)
xAI (US)
Released
February 11, 2026
July 9, 2025
Context window
200K (~300 pages)
256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)
$1/$3.2 per 1M tokens
$3/$15 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
No — API only
Modalities
text, code
text, image, code
SWE-Bench Verified
77.8%
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows: GLM 5 — A core design strength of GLM 5.
Complex systems design and backend reasoning: GLM 5 — A core design strength of GLM 5.
Iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks: GLM 5 — A core design strength of GLM 5.
256K context with native tool use: Grok 4 — A core design strength of Grok 4.
Real-time data via X integration: Grok 4 — A core design strength of Grok 4.
Strong academic reasoning: Grok 4 — A core design strength of Grok 4.
Lowest cost at scale: GLM 5 — At $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input: Grok 4 — Its 256K window is about 1.3× larger, fitting roughly 384 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: GLM 5 — At $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Grok 4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: Grok 4 — Larger 256K window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs: GLM 5 — Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Grok 4 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows: GLM 5 — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is 256k context with native tool use: Grok 4 — That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules: Grok 4 or GLM 5 — Origin (China vs US) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
GLM 5: where it fits
Z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. Released February 11, 2026 by Z.ai, it is built for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows, complex systems design and backend reasoning, iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks, and open weights under the permissive MIT license.
Its trade-offs are real: 200K context trails 1M-context rivals, and quickly superseded by GLM-5.1 and GLM-5.2. At $1 in / $3.2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Grok 4: where it fits
XAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. Released July 9, 2025 by xAI, it is built for 256K context with native tool use, real-time data via X integration, strong academic reasoning, and no long-context surcharge.
Its trade-offs: smaller ecosystem than OpenAI/Google, and less independent benchmark coverage. At $3 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
The defining split here is open vs. closed. GLM 5 gives you weights you control — self-host it, fine-tune it, keep data in-house, pay only for hardware. Grok 4 gives you a managed, always-updated API with no infrastructure to run. Teams with GPUs, privacy requirements, or huge volume often favour the open model; teams that want zero ops and the latest capabilities favour the closed one. Capability is close enough that this operational question, not the benchmark, usually decides it.
Frequently asked questions
Is GLM 5 or Grok 4 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for Grok 4, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, GLM 5 leans toward agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows while Grok 4 leans toward 256k context with native tool use, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, GLM 5 or Grok 4?
GLM 5 is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Grok 4 is API-metered at $3/$15 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Grok 4 — 256K vs 200K, about 1.3× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both GLM 5 and Grok 4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you GLM 5, Grok 4 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, GLM 5 or Grok 4?
GLM 5 — released February 11, 2026, about 7 months after Grok 4.
GLM 5 vs Grok 4
Z.ai · China | xAI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick GLM 5 for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows or complex systems design and backend reasoning. Pick Grok 4 for 256k context with native tool use or real-time data via x integration. Choose GLM 5 if you need self-hosting or data privacy; Grok 4 if you want a managed API.
GLM 5 (Z.ai, China) and Grok 4 (xAI, US) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. GLM 5 is z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. Grok 4 is xAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. They diverge most on price, context window and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: GLM 5 is about 3× cheaper on input ($1/$3.2 per 1M tokens vs $3/$15 per 1M tokens) — meaningful once you are processing millions of tokens a month.
▸Context window: Grok 4 holds 1.3× more — 256K (~384 pages) vs 200K (~300 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Recency: GLM 5 is the newer model by about 7 months (released February 11, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
▸Ecosystem: this is a China-vs-US matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
GLM 5
Grok 4
Provider
Z.ai (China)
xAI (US)
Released
February 11, 2026
July 9, 2025
Context window
200K (~300 pages)
256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)
$1/$3.2 per 1M tokens
$3/$15 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
No — API only
Modalities
text, code
text, image, code
SWE-Bench Verified
77.8%
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows
GLM 5
A core design strength of GLM 5.
Complex systems design and backend reasoning
GLM 5
A core design strength of GLM 5.
Iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks
GLM 5
A core design strength of GLM 5.
256K context with native tool use
Grok 4
A core design strength of Grok 4.
Real-time data via X integration
Grok 4
A core design strength of Grok 4.
Strong academic reasoning
Grok 4
A core design strength of Grok 4.
Lowest cost at scale
GLM 5
At $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input
Grok 4
Its 256K window is about 1.3× larger, fitting roughly 384 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ GLM 5
At $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Grok 4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Grok 4
Larger 256K window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs
→ GLM 5
Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Grok 4 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows
→ GLM 5
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is 256k context with native tool use
→ Grok 4
That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules
→ Grok 4 or GLM 5
Origin (China vs US) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
GLM 5: where it fits
Z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. Released February 11, 2026 by Z.ai, it is built for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows, complex systems design and backend reasoning, iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks, and open weights under the permissive MIT license.
Its trade-offs are real: 200K context trails 1M-context rivals, and quickly superseded by GLM-5.1 and GLM-5.2. At $1 in / $3.2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Grok 4: where it fits
XAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. Released July 9, 2025 by xAI, it is built for 256K context with native tool use, real-time data via X integration, strong academic reasoning, and no long-context surcharge.
Its trade-offs: smaller ecosystem than OpenAI/Google, and less independent benchmark coverage. At $3 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
The defining split here is open vs. closed. GLM 5 gives you weights you control — self-host it, fine-tune it, keep data in-house, pay only for hardware. Grok 4 gives you a managed, always-updated API with no infrastructure to run. Teams with GPUs, privacy requirements, or huge volume often favour the open model; teams that want zero ops and the latest capabilities favour the closed one. Capability is close enough that this operational question, not the benchmark, usually decides it.
Want both GLM 5 and Grok 4 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for Grok 4, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, GLM 5 leans toward agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows while Grok 4 leans toward 256k context with native tool use, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, GLM 5 or Grok 4?
GLM 5 is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Grok 4 is API-metered at $3/$15 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Grok 4 — 256K vs 200K, about 1.3× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both GLM 5 and Grok 4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you GLM 5, Grok 4 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, GLM 5 or Grok 4?
GLM 5 — released February 11, 2026, about 7 months after Grok 4.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.