GLM-5.2 vs Qwen3-Max
GLM-5.2 and Qwen3-Max are both current production-tier models. GLM-5.2 is meaningfully cheaper at $1.4 / $4.4 per 1M. GLM-5.2 has a 1M context window — about 4× the 262k of Qwen3-Max. GLM-5.2 leads on coding, reasoning.
Specs side by side
| Metric | Z.ai GLM-5.2 | Alibaba Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Input price (per 1M) | $1.4 | $1.2 |
| Output price (per 1M) | $4.4 | $6 |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 262k tokens |
| Speed tier | balanced | balanced |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| EU region | No | No |
| Free tier | bigmodel.cn | OpenRouter |
| Prompt caching | Yes | No |
| Vision input | No | No |
| Extended thinking | Yes | Yes |
When to choose each
Choose GLM-5.2 if…
- You need 1M context (4× more than Qwen3-Max)
- Coding is central to your workload
- Reasoning is central to your workload
Choose Qwen3-Max if…
- Qwen3-Max is in the same tier as GLM-5.2 — pick by provider preference or API ecosystem
Benchmark delta
GLM-5.2 leads on
- Coding
- Reasoning
Qwen3-Max leads on
Qwen3-Max has no meaningful benchmark lead in this pair.
FAQ — GLM-5.2 vs Qwen3-Max
GLM-5.2 vs Qwen3-Max — which is better?
GLM-5.2 and Qwen3-Max are both current production-tier models. GLM-5.2 is meaningfully cheaper at $1.4 / $4.4 per 1M. GLM-5.2 has a 1M context window — about 4× the 262k of Qwen3-Max. GLM-5.2 leads on coding, reasoning. The right pick depends on your use case — see "When to choose each" above for a data-driven decision.
How does GLM-5.2 pricing compare to Qwen3-Max?
GLM-5.2 costs $1.4 / $4.4 per 1M vs Qwen3-Max at $1.2 / $6 per 1M. GLM-5.2 is cheaper on output tokens by roughly 36%. Both support prompt caching, which reduces effective cost by 80-90% on repeat system prompts.
Does GLM-5.2 or Qwen3-Max have the bigger context window?
GLM-5.2 has a 1M-token context window — 4× the 262k context of Qwen3-Max. Enough for entire codebases, books, or multi-document RAG.
Is there a free tier for GLM-5.2 or Qwen3-Max?
GLM-5.2: yes — Free tier with monthly token allowance. Qwen3-Max: yes — Often available free via OpenRouter; official API is cheap and tiered.
Which is better for coding — GLM-5.2 or Qwen3-Max?
GLM-5.2 leads on coding benchmarks (GLM-5.2: 93/100, Qwen3-Max: 86/100). For production coding agents also weigh tool-use performance — GLM-5.2 scores 86, Qwen3-Max scores 85.