Grok vs GLM
The short answer. The cheapest Grok model we track, grok-build-0.1, costs $2.00 per million output tokens and $1.00 per million input tokens. The cheapest GLM model, GLM-OCR, costs $0.030 per million output tokens and $0.030 per million input tokens. At the entry level, GLM is 66.7 times cheaper than Grok on output tokens. Prices read on 11 September 2026 and 18 September 2026.
This page compares what xAI and Z.ai charge through their APIs. Every price below carries the day we read it and links to the page it came from. We do not rank quality: we tell you what each model costs, and since when.
At the top of each range
- Among Grok models that carry a relayed score, the highest on the Artificial Analysis intelligence index is Grok 4.6, at 44.4, sold by OpenRouter at $6.00 per million output tokens.
- Among GLM models that carry a relayed score, the highest on the Artificial Analysis intelligence index is GLM 5.3, at 44.9, sold by OpenRouter at $4.40 per million output tokens.
The index is produced by Artificial Analysis and relayed through OpenRouter's catalogue. It is not our measurement; we record it as a level 4 source and show it next to the price we read. A model without a score here has not been scored yet, which is not the same as scoring low.
Every model, side by side
Grok models
7 standard offers, from the prices xAI publishes itself.
| Model | Input | Output | Context | Read on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| grok-build-0.1 | $1.00 | $2.00 | 256 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning | $1.25 | $2.50 | 1 000 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.20-0309-reasoning | $1.25 | $2.50 | 1 000 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.20-multi-agent-0309 | $1.25 | $2.50 | 1 000 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.3 | $1.25 | $2.50 | 1 000 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.5 | $2.00 | $6.00 | 500 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
| grok-4.6 | $2.00 | $6.00 | 500 000 | 18 September 2026 | xAI |
GLM models
17 standard offers, from the prices Z.ai publishes itself.
| Model | Input | Output | Context | Read on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-OCR | $0.030 | $0.030 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4-32B-0414-128K | $0.100 | $0.100 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.6V-FlashX | $0.040 | $0.400 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.7-FlashX | $0.070 | $0.400 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-5.3-Flash | $0.150 | $0.500 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.6V | $0.300 | $0.900 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.5-Air | $0.200 | $1.10 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.5V | $0.600 | $1.80 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.5 | $0.600 | $2.20 | 16 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.6 | $0.600 | $2.20 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.7 | $0.600 | $2.20 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-5 | $1.00 | $3.20 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-5.1 | $1.40 | $4.40 | 15 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-5.2 | $1.40 | $4.40 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-5.3 | $1.40 | $4.40 | 18 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.5-AirX | $1.10 | $4.50 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai | |
| GLM-4.5-X | $2.20 | $8.90 | 11 September 2026 | Z.ai |
How these prices have moved
We hold dated captures of these models' prices back to 29 July 2025. We did not observe these values ourselves: they were recovered from public captures of OpenRouter's catalogue, and each links to its capture so you can check it without trusting us. Largest moves on output price:
| Model | Before | After | Change | Captured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z.ai: GLM 4.5 | $0.200 | $0.800064 | +300% | 12 August 2025 |
| Z.ai: GLM 4.5 Air | $0.220 | $0.850 | +286% | 19 February 2026 |
| Z.ai: GLM 5.2 | $0.8624 | $2.9788 | +245% | 21 July 2026 |
| Z.ai: GLM 4.5 Air | $0.860 | $0.000 | -100% | 7 October 2025 |
| Z.ai: GLM 5.1 | $3.08 | $0.000 | -100% | 20 May 2026 |
| Z.ai: GLM 4.5 | $2.20 | $0.200 | -91% | 30 July 2025 |
Questions
Which is cheaper, Grok or GLM?
The cheapest Grok model we track, grok-build-0.1, costs $2.00 per million output tokens and $1.00 per million input tokens. The cheapest GLM model, GLM-OCR, costs $0.030 per million output tokens and $0.030 per million input tokens. At the entry level, GLM is 66.7 times cheaper than Grok on output tokens. Prices read on 11 September 2026 and 18 September 2026.
What is the cheapest Grok model?
grok-build-0.1, at $2.00 per million output tokens, read on 18 September 2026.
What is the cheapest GLM model?
GLM-OCR, at $0.030 per million output tokens, read on 11 September 2026.
Where do these prices come from?
From the price lists xAI and Z.ai publish, read by our collectors. No figure on this page was produced by a language model.