Zhipu AI has introduced GLM-5.1 and opened the model to existing users of its GLM coding plan.

In coding evaluations run inside the Claude Code framework, GLM-5.1 scored 45.3 compared with 47.9 for Claude Opus 4.6, putting it at roughly 94.6% of that result.

The comparison is notable because the benchmark environment is already optimized for Claude-family workflows, which suggests the gap could narrow further in other coding setups.

Zhipu says the release marks a sharp jump from GLM-5, which scored 35.4 only a month earlier, highlighting a fast pace of model iteration.

Price is a central part of the pitch. The GLM coding plan starts at $3 per month under promotion and is listed at around $10 per month, far below similarly positioned commercial coding models.

Early users cited stronger long-horizon workflow handling, multi-step debugging, and simple setup inside existing developer environments such as Claude Code, where the model can be selected directly in configuration.

By combining near-frontier coding performance with aggressive pricing and an open-source posture, Zhipu is positioning GLM-5.1 as a potential catalyst for a broader shift in the coding-model market.