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Model comparison

GLM-5 vs GPT-4.1 nano

Data verified

Head-to-head evidence from 15 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.

Z.AI
65.29/100
Margin
24.2pts
← winning
41.14/100
3 category wins0 category wins

Public leaderboard positions: GLM-5 #30 (Supported); GPT-4.1 nano #170 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.

Evidence parity. GLM-5 and GPT-4.1 nano share 15 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 34 results are unique to GLM-5; 6 to GPT-4.1 nano.

Updated July 24, 2026
Shared results
15
GLM-5 only
34
GPT-4.1 nano only
6
Comparable categories
3 / 8

Pick GLM-5 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 nano only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you need the larger 1M context window.

Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 15 shared benchmark results across 7 evidence categories; 3 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.

Why this result

GLM-5 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 65.29 to 41.14. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

GLM-5's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 56.3 against 1. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 86% to 50.3%.

GLM-5 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.00 input / $3.20 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.10 input / $0.40 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 nano. That is roughly 8.0x on output cost alone. GPT-4.1 nano gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 200K for GLM-5.

Category breakdown

Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.

Category scores and score margins for GLM-5 and GPT-4.1 nano
CategoryGLM-5ΔGPT-4.1 nano
MathGLM-556.3Margin 55.3GPT-4.1 nano1.0
KnowledgeGLM-566.4Margin 16.1GPT-4.1 nano50.3
Inst. FollowingGLM-592.6Margin 9.4GPT-4.1 nano83.2
AgenticGLM-556.2MarginNo overlapGPT-4.1 nanoNot measured
CodingGLM-566.3MarginNo overlapGPT-4.1 nanoNot measured
ReasoningGLM-560.8MarginNo overlapGPT-4.1 nanoNot measured
MultilingualGLM-583.1MarginNo overlapGPT-4.1 nanoNot measured

Decisive benchmark drivers

The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.

More
A · GLM-5B · GPT-4.1 nano
  1. GPQA

    Knowledge
    Source ↗
    A 86%B 50.3%
    Winner: GLM-5Δ 35.7
    GPQA: GLM-5 scored 86%; GPT-4.1 nano scored 50.3%. GLM-5 wins this benchmark.
  2. FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)

    Math
    Source ↗
    A 16.434%B 1.034%
    Winner: GLM-5Δ 15.4
    FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): GLM-5 scored 16.434%; GPT-4.1 nano scored 1.034%. GLM-5 wins this benchmark.
  3. IFEval

    Inst. Following
    Source ↗
    A 92.6%B 83.2%
    Winner: GLM-5Δ 9.4
    IFEval: GLM-5 scored 92.6%; GPT-4.1 nano scored 83.2%. GLM-5 wins this benchmark.

Operational comparison

Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.

MetricGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoComparison
Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokensGLM-5$1 input / $3.2 outputGPT-4.1 nano$0.1 input / $0.4 outputGPT-4.1 nano has the lower combined listed price.
Generation speedtokens per secondGLM-574 tok/sGPT-4.1 nano181 tok/sGPT-4.1 nano has the higher measured throughput.
First-answer latencyseconds to first tokenGLM-51.64 sGPT-4.1 nano0.63 sGPT-4.1 nano reaches the first token sooner.
Context windowmaximum listed tokensGLM-5200KGPT-4.1 nano1MGPT-4.1 nano lists the larger context window.

Benchmark Deep Dive

Agentic
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
Terminal-Bench 2.0Source 56.2%Not comparable
Claw-EvalSource 57.7%Not comparable
QwenClawBenchSource 54.1%Not comparable
τ³-bench resultsSource 65.6%Not comparable
DeepPlanningSource 14.6%Not comparable
ToolathlonSource 38%Not comparable
MCP AtlasSource 31.1%Not comparable
MCP-TasksSource 60.8%Not comparable
WideResearchSource 69.8%Not comparable
τ²-bench resultsSource 98.2%17.3%GLM-5 leads
CyberGymSource 43.2%Not comparable
APEX-Agents-AASource 14.5%Not comparable
Gert LabsSource 50.99%Not comparable
AA Agentic IndexSource 1.2%Not comparable
GDPval-AASource 0.0%Not comparable
GDPval-AASource 63Not comparable
Coding
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
SWE-bench VerifiedSource 77.8%Not comparable
SWE-bench Verified*Source 72.8%Not comparable
SWE-bench ProSource 55.1%Not comparable
SWE MultilingualSource 73.3%Not comparable
SWE-RebenchSource 62.8%Not comparable
React Native EvalsSource 74.8%Not comparable
AA-SciCodeSource 46.2%25.9%GLM-5 leads
AA Coding IndexSource 11.1%Not comparable
Reasoning
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
LongBench v2Source 60.8%Not comparable
AI-NeedleSource 63.3%Not comparable
AA-LCRSource 63.3%17.0%GLM-5 leads
CritPtSource 2.0%0.0%GLM-5 leads
KnowledgeGLM-5 wins
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
GPQASource 86%50.3%GLM-5 leads
GPQA-DSource 86.0%Not comparable
SuperGPQASource 66.8%Not comparable
MMLU-ProSource 85.7%Not comparable
MMLU-Pro (Arcee)Source 85.8%Not comparable
HLESource 50.4%Not comparable
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource 39.5%9.6%GLM-5 leads
AA-GPQA DiamondSource 82.0%51.2%GLM-5 leads
AA-HLESource 27.2%3.9%GLM-5 leads
AA-Omniscience IndexSource 2.0%-56.4%GLM-5 leads
AA-Omniscience AccuracySource 26.9%13.3%GLM-5 leads
AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource 34.0%80.4%GLM-5 leads
MMLUSource 80.1%Not comparable
MathGLM-5 wins
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
AIME26Source 95.8%Not comparable
AIME25 (Arcee)Source 93.3%Not comparable
HMMT Feb 2025Source 97.5%Not comparable
HMMT Nov 2025Source 96.9%Not comparable
HMMT Feb 2026Source 86.4%Not comparable
MMAnswerBenchSource 82.5%Not comparable
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source 16.434%1.034%GLM-5 leads
FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)Source 2.100%Not comparable
Multilingual
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
MMLU-ProXSource 83.1%Not comparable
NOVA-63Source 55.1%Not comparable
Multimodal
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
Design Arena WebsiteSource 12781003GLM-5 leads
AA-MMMU-ProSource 40.1%Not comparable
Inst. FollowingGLM-5 wins
BenchmarkGLM-5GPT-4.1 nanoResult
IFEvalSource 92.6%83.2%GLM-5 leads
AA-IFBenchSource 72.3%32.0%GLM-5 leads
Frequently Asked Questions (4)

Which is better, GLM-5 or GPT-4.1 nano?

GLM-5 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 65.29 to 41.14. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 86% and 50.3%.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, GLM-5 or GPT-4.1 nano?

GLM-5 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 66.4 versus 50.3. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for math, GLM-5 or GPT-4.1 nano?

GLM-5 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 56.3 versus 1. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for instruction following, GLM-5 or GPT-4.1 nano?

GLM-5 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 92.6 versus 83.2. Inside this category, AA-IFBench is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

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Last updated: July 24, 2026