GLM-5.2 (Max) vs GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026)
Which is better for the money: GLM-5.2 (Max) by Z AI or GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026) by OpenAI? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-26.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GLM-5.2 (Max) scores 7.7 points higher (33.7 vs 26.0) but costs 1.8× as much to run the benchmark ($2097 vs $1184; flagship vs premium cost classes). Pick GLM-5.2 (Max) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026).
| Metric | GLM-5.2 (Max) | GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 33.7 | 26.0 | −22.8% GPT-5.5 Instant (June… is 22.8% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $2,097.29 | $1,184.34 | −43.5% GPT-5.5 Instant (June… is 43.5% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 28.50s | 16.68s | −41.5% GPT-5.5 Instant (June… is 41.5% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $1.40 / $4.40 | $5.00 / $30.0 | |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image |
GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026) vs GLM-5.2 (Max): 22.8% less intelligence, 43.5% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 41.5% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GLM-5.2 (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
- GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
GLM-5.2 (Max)GPT-5.5 Instant (June 2026)Today's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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