GLM-5.2 (Max) vs Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning)
Which is better for the money: GLM-5.2 (Max) by Z AI or Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) by Kimi? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-24.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GLM-5.2 (Max) scores 6.7 points higher (33.7 vs 27.0) but costs 1.4× as much to run the benchmark ($2097 vs $1528; flagship vs premium cost classes). Pick GLM-5.2 (Max) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning).
| Metric | GLM-5.2 (Max) | Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 33.7 | 27.0 | −19.9% Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) is 19.9% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $2,097.29 | $1,528.20 | −27.1% Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) is 27.1% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 30.10s | 65.20s | +116.6% Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) is 116.6% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.95 / $4.00 | |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image, Video |
Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) vs GLM-5.2 (Max): 19.9% less intelligence, 27.1% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 116.6% slower 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.
- Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
GLM-5.2 (Max)Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning)Today's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/glm-5-2/kimi-k2-6 · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/glm-5-2/kimi-k2-6?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill