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GLM-4.5 vs Kimi-K2
Battle of the Agentic AI Giants

Published: January 27, 202512 min readBy Dylan

Two titans of agentic AI face off: Z.ai's GLM-4.5 with its hybrid reasoning modes and 355B parameters, versus Moonshot AI's Kimi-K2 with its massive 1T parameter architecture and specialized agentic intelligence. We dive deep into performance, pricing, capabilities, and which model wins the crown for intelligent agents.

Executive Summary

🏆 GLM-4.5

  • Quality Index: 66/70
  • Best Price: $0.88/M tokens (SiliconFlow)
  • Context: Up to 131K tokens
  • Parameters: 355B total, 32B active
  • Special: Hybrid reasoning (thinking/non-thinking)
  • License: MIT (fully open)

🚀 Kimi-K2

  • Quality Index: 57-58/70
  • Best Price: $1.00/M tokens (Novita)
  • Context: 128K tokens
  • Parameters: 1T total, 32B active
  • Special: MuonClip optimizer, agentic focus
  • License: Modified MIT

Bottom Line: GLM-4.5 leads in overall quality and pricing, while Kimi-K2 excels in specialized agentic tasks and coding benchmarks. Both are purpose-built for intelligent agents.

Model Architecture & Specifications

GLM-4.5

Total Parameters:355B (32B active)
Architecture:Mixture of Experts (MoE)
Context Length:128K - 131K tokens
Special Features:Hybrid reasoning modes
Optimizer:Muon optimizer
License:MIT (Commercial use ✅)

Kimi-K2

Total Parameters:1T (32B active)
Architecture:MoE (384 experts, 8 active)
Context Length:128K tokens
Special Features:Agentic intelligence focus
Optimizer:MuonClip (unprecedented scale)
License:Modified MIT

🔍 Architecture Deep Dive

Both models represent different approaches to massive MoE architectures. GLM-4.5 uses a more compact 355B parameter design with depth-first optimization, while Kimi-K2 scales to 1T parameters with 384 experts. GLM-4.5 focuses on hybrid reasoning modes, while Kimi-K2 emphasizes pure agentic intelligence with specialized MuonClip optimization for unprecedented scale training stability.

Performance Benchmarks

Quality Index Comparison

GLM-4.5

Quality Index66/70
3rd place globally across all models

Kimi-K2

Quality Index57-58/70
Strong in specialized agentic tasks

Detailed Performance Metrics

BenchmarkGLM-4.5Kimi-K2Winner
MATH 50098.2%97.4%🏆 GLM-4.5
AIME2491.0%69.6%🏆 GLM-4.5
LiveCodeBench v6~45-5053.7🏆 Kimi-K2
SWE-bench Verified64.265.8🏆 Kimi-K2
Tool Use Success Rate90.6%~85-90%🏆 GLM-4.5
MMLU~85-8889.5🏆 Kimi-K2

📊 Performance Analysis

GLM-4.5 dominates in mathematical reasoning (MATH 500: 98.2%, AIME24: 91.0%) and tool use reliability (90.6% success rate). Kimi-K2 excels in coding tasks (LiveCodeBench: 53.7, SWE-bench: 65.8) and general knowledge (MMLU: 89.5). Both models show complementary strengths, with GLM-4.5 being more reliable for reasoning and Kimi-K2 stronger in practical coding.

Pricing Analysis

GLM-4.5 Pricing

🥇 Best Deal: SiliconFlow$0.88/M
Input: $0.50/M • Output: $2.00/M
Deepinfra$0.91/M
Input: $0.55/M • Output: $2.00/M
Fireworks$0.96/M
Input: $0.55/M • Output: $2.19/M

Kimi-K2 Pricing

🥇 Best Deal: Novita$1.00/M
Input: $0.57/M • Output: $2.30/M
Baseten$1.07/M
Input: $0.60/M • Output: $2.50/M
Fireworks/Groq/Together$1.50/M
Input: $1.00/M • Output: $3.00/M

💰 Cost Efficiency Analysis

12%
GLM-4.5 cost savings vs Kimi-K2 (best providers)
1.3x
Better quality per dollar (GLM-4.5)
$0.12
Average savings per million tokens

GLM-4.5 offers better value proposition with both lower costs and higher quality scores. The price difference is moderate, but GLM-4.5's superior performance metrics make it more cost-effective.

Speed & Latency Performance

GLM-4.5 Speed Metrics

Fastest: Parasail (FP8)115.4 tok/sec
Latency: 0.45s • $0.97/M tokens
Fireworks112.1 tok/sec
Latency: 0.47s • $0.96/M tokens
Average Speed77.1 tok/sec
Consistent across providers

Kimi-K2 Speed Metrics

🚀 Baseten88.9 tok/sec
Latency: 0.18s • $1.07/M tokens
Most Providers20.0 tok/sec
Latency: 0.85s • $1.00-1.50/M tokens
Average Speed37.4 tok/sec
Varies significantly by provider

⚡ Speed Analysis

GLM-4.5 delivers significantly faster throughput (115 tok/sec peak vs 89 tok/sec) and more consistent performance across providers. Kimi-K2 shows extreme variance, with most providers offering only 20 tok/sec but Baseten achieving much better speeds. For production workloads requiring consistent performance, GLM-4.5 is the clear winner.

115
GLM-4.5 peak (tok/sec)
89
Kimi-K2 peak (tok/sec)
0.18s
Best latency (Kimi-K2)
2.1x
GLM-4.5 average speed advantage

Agentic Capabilities & Intelligence

🎯 GLM-4.5 Agentic Features

Hybrid Reasoning Modes

Switches between thinking mode for complex tasks and non-thinking mode for quick responses.

Tool Use Success: 90.6%

Industry-leading reliability in tool calling and function execution.

Multi-Domain Excellence

Builds games, creates presentations, handles web scraping, and packages deliverables cleanly.

Stable Long-Context

Maintains performance during extended multi-turn conversations with tools.

🎯 Kimi-K2 Agentic Features

Pure Agentic Focus

Specifically designed for autonomous problem-solving and tool use from the ground up.

Superior Coding Agents

SWE-bench Verified: 65.8% (beats most models in agentic coding tasks).

MuonClip Training

Novel optimization at unprecedented scale ensures stable agentic behavior.

Specialized Intelligence

384 experts with 8 active per token, optimized for complex reasoning workflows.

Agentic Benchmark Comparison

Agentic TaskGLM-4.5Kimi-K2Winner
Tool Use Success Rate90.6%~85-90%🏆 GLM-4.5
SWE-bench Verified (Agentic)64.265.8🏆 Kimi-K2
Web Browsing (BrowseComp)~75-80~70-75🏆 GLM-4.5
Terminal-Bench37.530.0🏆 GLM-4.5
Multi-turn StabilityExcellentGood🏆 GLM-4.5

🤖 Agentic Intelligence Analysis

Both models excel at different aspects of agentic intelligence. GLM-4.5 offers superior tool use reliability and multi-turn stability, making it ideal for production agent deployments. Kimi-K2 specializes in complex coding tasks and autonomous problem-solving, excelling where deep reasoning meets code generation. Choose GLM-4.5 for reliable, consistent agents; choose Kimi-K2 for cutting-edge coding intelligence.

Use Cases & Recommendations

🎯 GLM-4.5 Best For

Production AI Agents

90.6% tool use success rate makes it ideal for reliable, customer-facing agents.

Multi-Modal Creation

Excels at creating presentations, games, posters, and full-stack applications.

Mathematical & Scientific Tasks

MATH 500: 98.2%, AIME24: 91.0% - best for STEM applications.

Enterprise Integration

MIT license, consistent performance, and hybrid reasoning modes.

🎯 Kimi-K2 Best For

Advanced Coding Agents

SWE-bench: 65.8%, LiveCodeBench: 53.7% - superior for software development.

Research & Experimentation

1T parameter scale with cutting-edge MuonClip optimization.

Autonomous Problem Solving

Purpose-built for independent reasoning and decision-making.

Specialized Agentic Workflows

384 experts enable highly specialized task handling.

🏆 Final Verdict

🥇

Overall Winner

GLM-4.5

Better quality, price, and reliability

💻

Coding Champion

Kimi-K2

Superior software development

💰

Value Winner

GLM-4.5

$0.88/M tokens + higher quality

Conclusion

The battle between GLM-4.5 and Kimi-K2 showcases two different philosophies in agentic AI development, each with distinct strengths that cater to different use cases.

GLM-4.5 emerges as the overall winner, delivering superior quality scores (66 vs 57-58), better pricing ($0.88 vs $1.00+ per million tokens), and exceptional reliability with its 90.6% tool use success rate. Its hybrid reasoning modes and consistent performance across providers make it the ideal choice for production deployments and enterprise applications.

Kimi-K2 shines in specialized domains, particularly software development where it achieves 65.8% on SWE-bench Verified and 53.7% on LiveCodeBench. Its massive 1T parameter architecture with 384 experts provides unmatched specialization capabilities, making it perfect for cutting-edge coding agents and research applications.

Quick Decision Matrix

Choose GLM-4.5 if you need:

  • ✅ Production-ready reliability (90.6% tool success)
  • ✅ Better cost efficiency ($0.88/M tokens)
  • ✅ Mathematical and scientific excellence
  • ✅ Multi-modal content creation
  • ✅ Consistent performance across providers

Choose Kimi-K2 if you need:

  • ✅ Advanced software development (65.8% SWE-bench)
  • ✅ Cutting-edge research capabilities
  • ✅ Specialized expert knowledge (384 experts)
  • ✅ Autonomous coding agents
  • ✅ Maximum parameter scale (1T total)

Both models represent significant achievements in agentic AI, but they serve different markets. GLM-4.5 is the pragmatic choice for businesses needing reliable, cost-effective agents that work consistently in production. Kimi-K2 is the research-oriented choice for developers pushing the boundaries of what's possible in autonomous software development and specialized reasoning tasks.

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