Tokens vs Z.ai GLM API

Name: Tokens vs Z.ai GLM API
Brand: Tokens

Z.ai sells GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3 Flash at flat list prices, plus a GLM Coding Plan from $18/month. Tokens bills GLM in BDT beside other providers.

Z.ai's API prices GLM flat, with no context-length tiers: GLM-5.3, 5.2 and 5.1 all cost $1.40 / $4.40 per million tokens, GLM-5.3 Flash is $0.15 / $0.50, and cached-input storage is free for a limited time. Z.ai also sells the GLM Coding Plan, a subscription from $18 a month aimed at tools such as Claude Code and Cline. The OpenAI-compatible base URL is https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4. Tokens fits better if you use GLM together with Claude, GPT, DeepSeek or Qwen and want one key, one BDT invoice and a monthly spend cap per key. If you only run GLM inside a coding agent and can pay in USD, look at Z.ai's Coding Plan first.

Tokens

Pricing model: Prepaid plan or USD wallet, paid in BDT; per-model prices in USD and BDT on /models
Payment methods: Invoice via billing portal
Currencies: USD and BDT
Model prices: Live in the model catalog, in BDT and USD

Z.ai GLM API

Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go per token in USD, flat with no context tiers; GLM Coding Plan subscription from $18/month
Payment methods: USD billing on a Z.ai account, GLM Coding Plan subscription
Prices checked: 3 Oct 2026
GLM-5.2 (per 1M tokens, in / out): $1.40 / $4.40
GLM-5.3 (per 1M tokens, in / out): $1.40 / $4.40
GLM-5.3 cached input (per 1M tokens): $0.26
GLM-5.3 Flash (per 1M tokens, in / out): $0.15 / $0.50
GLM-5.3 FlashX (per 1M tokens, in / out): $0.37 / $1.25

Side by side

A tick marks the better option for that row. Some rows go to the other side.

Topic	Tokens	Z.ai GLM API
Price	Set per model by Tokens; see /models	Z.ai's list price, flat across the context window
Coding subscription	Weekly or monthly plans with a credit allowance and usage windows, across providers	GLM Coding Plan from $18/month for GLM models
Paying from Bangladesh	BDT invoice through the billing portal	USD prices. Bangladesh Bank FE Circular 26 (2019) limits international-card online payments to USD 300 per transaction
Providers on one key	GLM plus Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen and others	GLM models only
Coding agent support	OpenAI and Anthropic formats; setup CLI for OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex CLI and Crush	Coding Plan works with Claude Code, Cline and other tools through a dedicated endpoint
Spend control	Monthly cap and model allow-list per key; alerts at 50/75/90/100%	Pay-as-you-go billing or a fixed plan fee
Network path	One extra gateway hop	Direct to the model maker

Choose Tokens when

Pay a BDT invoice instead of paying Z.ai in USD.
Use GLM-5.3 for agent work and switch to Claude, GPT or Kimi with a model change, on the same key.
Per-key spend caps and model allow-lists, plus usage alerts.
One setup command configures OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex CLI and Crush.

Choose Z.ai GLM API when

Z.ai's list price is the floor, and its Coding Plan may cost less if you only use GLM.
New GLM models and Z.ai features appear on Z.ai's API first.
Adds a gateway hop and one more party in the data path (Tokens does not store prompt or response content).

Switch your client

Point the client at Tokens and swap the key. Your code and agent setup stay the same.

Get an API key Quickstart

bash

# Before: OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4, model glm-5.3
export TOKENS_API_KEY=tok_live_your_key
export OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://tokens.bd/v1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=$TOKENS_API_KEY

# GLM ids on Tokens use provider/model form; find them with:
curl -s https://tokens.bd/v1/models -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKENS_API_KEY" | grep -i glm

# Claude Code with GLM through Tokens
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://tokens.bd
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=$TOKENS_API_KEY