Alternatives

# Cheaper GLM Alternatives in October 2026

> The strongest lower-cost alternative to GLM as of October 2026 is MiMo-V2.6-Flash from Xiaomi: 6.3 points behind GLM-5.3, 12.3× cheaper per token; open weights. Compared against GLM-5.3, GLM's current top model.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/alternatives/glm/cheaper
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Title: Cheaper GLM Alternatives (October 2026) | Noometry

The strongest lower-cost alternative to GLM as of October 2026 is MiMo-V2.6-Flash from Xiaomi: 6.3 points behind GLM-5.3, 12.3× cheaper per token; open weights. Compared against GLM-5.3, GLM's current top model.

Last verified October 10, 2026

1.  ## [MiMo-V2.6-Flash](https://noometry.com/models/mimo-v2-6-flash) Xiaomi
    
    6.3 points behind GLM-5.3, 12.3× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 48.5, $0.18 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-mimo-v2-6-flash)
    
2.  ## [GPT-6 Luna](https://noometry.com/models/gpt-6-luna) OpenAI
    
    1.5 points behind GLM-5.3, 10.7× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 53.3, $0.20 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-gpt-6-luna)
    
3.  ## [Claude Haiku 5.5](https://noometry.com/models/claude-haiku-5-5) Anthropic
    
    5.4 points behind GLM-5.3, 10.7× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 49.5, $0.20 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-haiku-5-5-vs-glm-5-3)
    
4.  ## [DeepSeek V4 Flash](https://noometry.com/models/deepseek-v4-flash) DeepSeek
    
    about as strong as GLM-5.3, 8.2× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 53.6, $0.26 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/deepseek-v4-flash-vs-glm-5-3)
    
5.  ## [Kimi K2.5](https://noometry.com/models/kimi-k2-5) Moonshot AI
    
    6.8 points behind GLM-5.3, 2.4× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 48.1, $0.90 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-kimi-k2-5)
    
6.  ## [Gemini 3 Flash Preview](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-3-flash-preview) Google
    
    2.6 points behind GLM-5.3, 1.9× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 52.3, $1.13 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-3-flash-preview-vs-glm-5-3)
    
7.  ## [Qwen3.6 Plus](https://noometry.com/models/qwen3-6-plus) Alibaba (Qwen)
    
    7.3 points behind GLM-5.3, 1.9× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 47.5, $1.13 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-qwen3-6-plus)
    
8.  ## [Step 5 Preview](https://noometry.com/models/step-5-preview) StepFun
    
    6.9 points behind GLM-5.3, 1.5× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 47.9, $1.43 per M tokens blended.[Compare with GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-step-5-preview)
    

More: [All alternatives](https://noometry.com/alternatives/glm), [Open-source](https://noometry.com/alternatives/glm/open-source), [For coding](https://noometry.com/alternatives/glm/coding)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best alternative to GLM?

The strongest lower-cost alternative to GLM as of October 2026 is MiMo-V2.6-Flash from Xiaomi: 6.3 points behind GLM-5.3, 12.3× cheaper per token; open weights. Compared against GLM-5.3, GLM's current top model.

### How were these alternatives chosen?

Each is the highest-ranked model from a different provider that costs less per token and scores within 8 points, compared on the Noometry Index against GLM-5.3.