Claude Opus vs GLM: The Real Cost of AI Code Quality
The eternal engineering tradeoff: Do you optimize for cost or quality? In comparing Claude Opus 4.5 and GLM 4.7 for production coding tasks, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as you might expect.
The Setup: A Head-to-Head Code Generation Battle
Let’s cut through the marketing hype and run both models through their paces with an identical coding challenge: building a TypeScript-based feature implementation using Convex and Next.js. While some newer models claim superior performance, the real test is always in production-ready code.
The Cost Factor
| Model | Relative Cost | Price Premium |
|---|---|---|
| GLM 4.7 | 1x (Base) | – |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | 15-20x | 1400-1900% |
The Unexpected Results
Here’s where it gets interesting. GLM 4.7, despite being the budget option, actually outperformed Opus in one critical area: model selection consistency. While Claude’s capabilities are well-documented, it repeatedly attempted to use non-existent models, a rookie mistake that could waste hours of debugging time.
Frontend Implementation
Claude Opus demonstrated superior frontend architecture:
- More elegant component structure
- Better template playground implementation
- Improved UI/UX considerations
Backend Reliability
| Aspect | GLM 4.7 | Claude Opus |
|---|---|---|
| Model Selection | Correct | Incorrect |
| Package Usage | Consistent | Inconsistent |
| Error Handling | Basic | Comprehensive |
The Trust Factor
As any senior engineer knows, technical debt comes at a price. While GLM 4.7 offers significant cost savings, the real metric is developer time spent debugging and correcting AI-generated code.
The Verdict
Claude Opus edges out GLM 4.7 with an 8/10 overall score, primarily due to superior implementation quality and error handling. However, the 15-20x price premium becomes harder to justify when you consider GLM’s competent performance. For teams working on production-critical systems, Opus remains the safer choice – if you can afford it.
Key Takeaways
- Claude Opus provides better code architecture but has concerning consistency issues
- GLM 4.7 offers surprising reliability at a fraction of the cost
- Active supervision remains critical regardless of model choice
- The “right” choice depends heavily on your budget and risk tolerance