Z.AI’s GLM lineup has enough models that picking one isn’t obvious: GLM-5, GLM-5-Turbo, GLM-4.6 and 4.7, and the lightweight GLM-4.5-Air. For coding, the differences come down to capability, speed, cost, and which plan tier you’re on. This sorts out which to use for what, so you don’t overpay for a flagship you don’t need or under-power a hard task.
For setup, see run GLM-5 with Claude Code; for the plan, GLM Coding Plan setup.
The lineup
GLM models for coding (availability per Z.AI docs)
| GLM-5 | Flagship; strongest reasoning/coding; Pro plan |
|---|---|
| GLM-5-Turbo | Fast, cheaper; all plans; best everyday default |
| GLM-4.7 | Previous flagship; strong coding; all plans |
| GLM-4.6 | Solid, capable; good value |
| GLM-4.5-Air | Lightweight; cheapest; quick tasks |
GLM-5: the flagship
GLM-5 is the most capable of the family — the one to reach for on genuinely hard problems, tricky bugs, and tasks where a cheaper model goes in circles. The trade-offs: it sits on the Pro plan tier and uses your window faster. Use it deliberately rather than as the default.
GLM-5-Turbo: the everyday default
For most coding, GLM-5-Turbo is the sweet spot. It’s fast, cheaper, available on all plans, and capable enough for the bulk of agent work. Because it’s lighter, it also stretches a coding plan’s rolling window further, so you can do more before hitting a cap. If you’re picking one model and forgetting about it, this is it.
GLM-4.6 and 4.7: still very usable
The previous-generation flagships haven’t stopped being good. GLM-4.7 is a strong coding model on all plans, and GLM-4.6 remains capable and often cheaper. If your plan favors them or you’re optimizing cost, they handle everyday coding well — you’re not missing much for routine work.
GLM-4.5-Air: the lightweight
Air is the cheapest, smallest option — fine for quick edits, simple tasks, and background work where you don’t need much reasoning. It’s a good “background” model in a routed setup, not your main coding driver.
How to choose
With Claude Code Router, you can automate that split:
{
"Router": {
"default": "zai,glm-5-turbo",
"think": "zai,glm-5",
"background": "zai,glm-4.5-air"
}
}Everyday work runs on Turbo, hard reasoning on GLM-5, and background tasks on Air.
Quick recommendation
- One model, set and forget: GLM-5-Turbo.
- Hardest tasks, Pro plan: GLM-5, used sparingly.
- Cost-focused on an older plan: GLM-4.7 or 4.6.
- Background/cheap tasks in a routed setup: GLM-4.5-Air.
Choosing a GLM model
- Default to GLM-5-Turbo for everyday coding
- Escalate to GLM-5 only for hard tasks (Pro plan)
- Use GLM-4.7/4.6 if cost or plan favors them
- Use GLM-4.5-Air for background work
- Confirm plan availability on Z.AI
Wrapping up
For GLM coding, GLM-5-Turbo is the everyday default — fast, cheap, on all plans, and easy on your usage window. Reserve GLM-5 (Pro) for the hardest tasks, keep GLM-4.7/4.6 as solid cost options, and use GLM-4.5-Air for background work. A router lets you get the best of all of them automatically.
To set any of these up, see run GLM-5 with Claude Code and GLM + OpenCode.
