Model comparison
GLM-5.2 vs Grok 4.20 Reasoning
Compare GLM-5.2 vs Grok 4.20 Reasoning API pricing: input/output token costs, cache pricing, context windows, workload estimates, and routing fit.
GLM-5.2
zai · glm-5.2
- Input
- $1.4
- Output
- $4.4
- Context
- 1M
Grok 4.20 Reasoning
xai · grok-4.20-0309-reasoning
- Input
- $1.25
- Output
- $2.5
- Context
- 1M
Quick take
Grok 4.20 Reasoning has the lower input price at $1.25 per 1M input tokens. Grok 4.20 Reasoning is cheaper for the example blended workload below. GLM-5.2 has the larger context window at 1M tokens.
Choose GLM-5.2 if...
- GLM-5.2 is a reasonable pick when its provider, latency, or integration path fits your stack better.
Choose Grok 4.20 Reasoning if...
- Grok 4.20 Reasoning is the better default for cost-sensitive traffic and repeated high-volume calls.
- Grok 4.20 Reasoning gives more room for long generated answers, reports, or code output.
Example workload cost
Estimates use input tokens plus 20% output tokens. They exclude provider discounts, cache hits, and tool/search surcharges.
| Workload | GLM-5.2 | Grok 4.20 Reasoning | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1M input + 200K output | $2.28 | $1.75 | Grok 4.20 Reasoning |
| 10M input + 2M output | $22.80 | $17.50 | Grok 4.20 Reasoning |
| 100M input + 20M output | $228.00 | $175.00 | Grok 4.20 Reasoning |
Context, output, and capability fit
GLM-5.2 provides the larger context window. Check max output separately when the task needs long reports, code generation, or full-document rewrites.
- GLM-5.2 max output
- 128K
- Grok 4.20 Reasoning max output
- 1M
- GLM-5.2 features
- prompt caching, function calling
- Grok 4.20 Reasoning features
- prompt caching, function calling
Risk notes for GLM-5.2
- No major capability risk is flagged in this snapshot, but provider pages should still be verified before production routing.
Risk notes for Grok 4.20 Reasoning
- No major capability risk is flagged in this snapshot, but provider pages should still be verified before production routing.
Routing tags
frontierreasoningcodingagentslong-contextopen-weightcache-friendlyraglocal-openmultimodal