What the GLM API costs. And GLM‑5.3, 5.3‑Flash, 5.2 and 5.1 for 10 to 23% less.
Z.ai's prices per million tokens for GLM-5.3, GLM-5.3-Flash and more, next to what APIsRouter charges for the ones it sells, and when Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan beats paying per token.
The same traffic for 30 days
Tokens per request: agent 46,000 in (40,000 cached) and 2,500 out; extraction 1,500 in and 300 out; chatbot 3,000 in (2,000 cached) and 400 out.
| Z.ai | APIsRouter | |
|---|---|---|
| Research agent, 300 tasks a day (GLM-5.3) | $268 | $216 |
| Document extraction, 10,000 pages a day (GLM-5.3-Flash) | $113 | $99 |
| Support chatbot, 2,000 answers a day (GLM-5.3-Flash) | $25 | $22 |
| Total | $406 | $337 |
GLM API prices, per million tokens
Z.ai's list for the GLM text models, next to APIsRouter's price for each model we sell below Z.ai on every token type. Z.ai prices from docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing, September 2026. Z.ai does not charge for cached-input storage for now.
| Model | Input: Z.ai / APIsRouter | Cached input: Z.ai / APIsRouter | Output: Z.ai / APIsRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLM-5.3 | $1.40 / $1.20 | $0.26 / $0.20 | $4.40 / $3.50 |
| GLM-5.3-Flash | $0.15 / $0.13 | $0.03 / $0.025 | $0.50 / $0.45 |
| GLM-5.2 | $1.40 / $1.20 | $0.26 / $0.20 | $4.40 / $3.50 |
| GLM-5.1 | $1.40 / $1.20 | $0.26 / $0.20 | $4.40 / $3.50 |
| GLM-5.3-FlashX | $0.37 / Not on APIsRouter | $0.075 / Not on APIsRouter | $1.25 / Not on APIsRouter |
| GLM-4.7 | $0.60 / Not on APIsRouter | $0.11 / Not on APIsRouter | $2.20 / Not on APIsRouter |
GLM Coding Plan or pay per token
- Daily coding: the Coding Plan: Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan starts at $18 a month for Claude Code, Cline and OpenCode, with 5-hour and weekly limits. Z.ai says it saves up to 92% against paying per token for GLM-5.3 when you use the full quota at off-peak hours. If you code every day and use most of the quota, the plan costs less than any per-token price, ours included. With lighter use, paying per token can cost less: 3 million input and 0.5 million output tokens of GLM-5.3 cost $5.35 a month on APIsRouter.
- Apps and agents: pay per token: The Coding Plan is for coding tools. For your own apps, agents and pipelines, per-token pricing has no windows and no monthly fee.
- OpenAI format on APIsRouter: On APIsRouter the GLM models take OpenAI-format requests, so they work in your own code and OpenAI-compatible tools, not in Claude Code.
- Pay as you go: No subscription needed: top up from $10, with +30% on the first top-up. Unused credit never expires.
Switch with one line
- Get a key: Start free on the $2 trial credit, or top up from $10 below. A top-up key arrives by email.
- Point the OpenAI SDK at APIsRouter: Set base_url to https://api.apisrouter.com/v1. Model IDs are Z.ai's, such as glm-5.3.
- Send requests: Every request shows up in your console with its tokens and cost.
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
base_url="https://api.apisrouter.com/v1",
api_key="sk-your-apisrouter-key",
)
reply = client.chat.completions.create(
model="glm-5.3",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
print(reply.choices[0].message.content)Two ways to pay
Both fill one balance, spent at the prices above.
FAQ
How much does the GLM-5.3 API cost?
At Z.ai, $1.40 / $4.40 per million input and output tokens, and $0.26 for cached input. On APIsRouter, $1.20 / $3.50 and $0.20.
Is the GLM Coding Plan worth it?
If you code every day in Claude Code, Cline or OpenCode and use most of its quota, yes: it starts at $18 a month. For lighter use, pay per token: 3 million input and 0.5 million output tokens of GLM-5.3 cost $5.35 a month on APIsRouter. For your own apps and agents, pay per token too.
Is there a free GLM API?
Z.ai offers GLM-4.7-Flash and GLM-4.5-Flash free. APIsRouter does not sell those; you can start on a $2 trial credit for GLM-5.3-Flash and GLM-5.3: sign in and claim it from your dashboard, no card needed.
What is the cheapest GLM model on APIsRouter?
GLM-5.3-Flash, at $0.13 / $0.45 per million input and output tokens on APIsRouter and $0.15 / $0.50 at Z.ai.
Is the GLM API OpenAI-compatible?
Yes. Set base_url (baseURL in Node) to https://api.apisrouter.com/v1, use your APIsRouter key and Z.ai's model IDs, such as glm-5.3. GLM on APIsRouter takes OpenAI-format requests only, so it does not work in Claude Code.
Do I need a Z.ai account?
No. One APIsRouter key calls GLM, Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek and more, all paid from one balance.