Skip to main content
AI Choice Engine

Model comparison

GLM 5.2 vs MiniMax M2.5

Z.ai against MiniMax, compared on context, price, and verified benchmark results.

Catalog record checked September 26, 2026Individual provider fields may changeEvidence confidence: High — see receipts below

Z.ai

GLM 5.2

Balanced · Open weights

vs

MiniMax

MiniMax M2.5

Balanced · Open weights

AI model capability comparison
SpecificationGLM 5.2MiniMax M2.5
ProviderZ.aiMiniMax
TierBalancedBalanced
Context windowWinner: 1M205K
Max output128KNot verifiedUnverified
Input / 1M tokens$1.40Winner: $0.30
Output / 1M tokens$4.40Winner: $1.20
WeightsOpenOpen
Parametersopen MoEopen MoE
Reasoning levelslow, high, maxlow, high, max
Modalitiestexttext
API model idglm-5.2Not publishedUnverified
ReleasedJune 16, 2026February 12, 2026
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index [max] (2026-09-26)33.7Not verifiedUnverified
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (2026-09-26)Not verifiedUnverified22.8

Prices are USD per million tokens at standard rates, excluding batch and caching discounts. Bold indicates the better figure where one is objectively better. Values we could not confirm from the provider are shown as “Not verified” rather than estimated.

Benchmark receipts

Where each score comes from, and how far it can be compared across models.

  • 2026-09-26
    Artificial Analysis (AA-estimated)

    Composite index blending reasoning, knowledge, and coding evals into one 0–100 score.

    Comparable with caveatOnly same-version scores are comparable. v4.3.2 was rebaselined (the top score fell from 66 on v4.1.1 to ~58), so v4.1.1 figures must not be compared with v4.3.2 figures — check measuredAt.

Pricing tiers

GLM 5.2: Z.ai's per-token table lists $1.40/$4.40 per MTok (same list as 5.3). Open-weight, text-only; 1M context, 128K max output per Z.ai docs.

MiniMax M2.5: $0.30/$1.20 per MTok on MiniMax's pay-as-you-go API (cache read $0.03). MiniMax lists M2.5 as a legacy model. Open weights (community license).

BalancedOpen weightsRecord checked September 26, 2026

GLM 5.2

GLM 5.2 is Zhipu's previous-generation open-weight model with strong cost-performance.

Best for

  • Open-weight deployments
  • Reasoning
  • Cost-sensitive work

Watch out

Superseded by GLM 5.3 (Coding Plan 5.2/5.1 requests route to 5.3). Parameter count: sources disagree.

BalancedOpen weightsRecord checked September 26, 2026

MiniMax M2.5

MiniMax M2.5 is a legacy open-weight MiniMax MoE with a 204,800-token context.

Best for

  • Open-weight deployments
  • Multimodal

Watch out

Legacy: MiniMax's current models are M3 (1M context, multimodal) and M2.7 at the same $0.30/$1.20 price.

When the cheaper one wins

MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper on output at $1.20 per million tokens against $4.40 for GLM 5.2 — about 3.7×. Use the cheaper tier for classification, extraction, summarisation, and any task where the expensive model’s extra score does not change the accepted output. The expensive one only pays if your hardest task actually fails on the cheap tier. These are standard-tier API rates, excluding batch and cache discounts.

Run the model picker

Evidence confidence: High

How strong and complete the evidence behind this comparison is — not a prediction of which model is better.

  • Pricing verified on both sides — Input and output rates are verified for both models.
  • 4/5 core specs verified on both sides — Not published for at least one side: max output.
  • 1 shared named benchmark with differing scores — Measured on: Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.
  • Verified within the last 90 days — Newest catalog check was 2 days ago.
  • Both models carry source citations — Each side has at least two catalog sources on record.

Source receipts

Each catalog figure was checked against the provider or an independent second source on the date shown.

Related comparisons

Diving deeper on one model? GLM 5.2 · MiniMax M2.5

Common questions

GLM 5.2 vs MiniMax M2.5

Answered from the verified figures on this page rather than general guidance.

Is GLM 5.2 or MiniMax M2.5 cheaper for input?
MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper at $0.30 per million input tokens, against $1.40 for GLM 5.2 — roughly 4.7× the price. Output tokens usually dominate a real bill, so weigh the output rate more heavily than the input rate. These are base rates; GLM 5.2 has tiered pricing: Z.ai's per-token table lists $1.40/$4.40 per MTok (same list as 5.3). Open-weight, text-only; 1M context, 128K max output per Z.ai docs. MiniMax M2.5 has tiered pricing: $0.30/$1.20 per MTok on MiniMax's pay-as-you-go API (cache read $0.03). MiniMax lists M2.5 as a legacy model. Open weights (community license).
Is GLM 5.2 or MiniMax M2.5 cheaper for output?
MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper at $1.20 per million output tokens, against $4.40 for GLM 5.2 — roughly 3.7× the price. Output tokens usually dominate a real bill, so weigh the output rate more heavily than the input rate. These are base rates; GLM 5.2 has tiered pricing: Z.ai's per-token table lists $1.40/$4.40 per MTok (same list as 5.3). Open-weight, text-only; 1M context, 128K max output per Z.ai docs. MiniMax M2.5 has tiered pricing: $0.30/$1.20 per MTok on MiniMax's pay-as-you-go API (cache read $0.03). MiniMax lists M2.5 as a legacy model. Open weights (community license).
Which has the larger context window, GLM 5.2 or MiniMax M2.5?
GLM 5.2 accepts 1M tokens against 205K for MiniMax M2.5. This only matters if you routinely send very long documents or large codebases.
Do GLM 5.2 and MiniMax M2.5 support the same reasoning levels?
Yes — both accept the same effort settings: "low", "high", "max". Higher effort costs more and takes longer, so start low and raise it only where output quality actually improves.
Should I use GLM 5.2 or MiniMax M2.5?
Both sit in the balanced tier, so the choice usually comes down to price and context rather than capability. GLM 5.2 suits open-weight deployments; MiniMax M2.5 suits open-weight deployments.

Next step

Choosing between them

The verified figures that separate this pair, computed from the catalog rather than restated boilerplate.

  • Input price: MiniMax M2.5 costs $0.30 per 1M tokens versus $1.40 for GLM 5.2 — a 4.7x difference at the headline tier.
  • Context: GLM 5.2 takes 1M against 205K for MiniMax M2.5 — only decisive if your prompts approach the smaller window.
Run the model pickerEstimate stack costAll model comparisons

Choosing a harness rather than a model — Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code, Windsurf, or Lovable? Compare agentic harnesses · Latest releases.