Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GLM-5
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic wins on 6 of 11 benchmarks against GLM-5 by Zhipu AI, which leads on 5. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, GLM-5 scores 1456 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 1395.
Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1274 on Design Arena ELO compared to GLM-5's 1235, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1297 on Website Arena ELO compared to GLM-5's 1260.
Reasoning: In reasoning, GLM-5 scores 78.6% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 54.3%, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 75.3% on τ²-Bench Airline compared to GLM-5's 75.3%.
Context: In context, Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to GLM-5's 205K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while GLM-5 costs $0.60/1M input and $1.9/1M output. GLM-5 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 generates output at 57 tok/s compared to GLM-5's 55 tok/s, and the time to first token is 790 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.6 versus 1030 ms for GLM-5. Claude Sonnet 4.6 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing speed, Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge. For those who value general intelligence and affordability, GLM-5 is the stronger choice.
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Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GLM-5 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GLM-5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 wins on more benchmarks overall (6 vs 5). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.6 compare to GLM-5 for coding?
SWE-bench Verified data is not available for both models. Check the detailed comparison charts above for other coding-related metrics.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 cheaper than GLM-5?
Yes, GLM-5 is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. GLM-5 costs $0.60/1M input and $1.9/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GLM-5?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is faster, generating output at 57 tok/s compared to 55 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs GLM-5 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 11 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, Time to First Token, Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, Cached Input Cost, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.