GLM-4.7: The Open-Source Coding Model That's Challenging GPT-5.1 and Claude

The AI landscape just got more interesting. On December 22, 2025, Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) released GLM-4.7—and it's not just another incremental update. This open-source model is genuinely competing with the proprietary giants at a fraction of the cost. Amazing tool i tested during christmas period . MIND BLOWING

Here's what makes GLM-4.7 worth your attention:

Built for Real Development, Not Just Chat

Unlike models optimized for chat demos, GLM-4.7 was designed for agentic coding workflows—long, multi-step tasks where consistency matters. It natively integrates with tools like Claude Code, Cline, Roo Code, and Kilo Code.

The secret weapon? A triple thinking system:

Interleaved Thinking: Reasons before every response and tool call
Preserved Thinking: Retains reasoning across multi-turn conversations (no more "forgetting" what it just decided)
Turn-level Thinking: Toggle reasoning on/off per request—fast when you need speed, deep when complexity demands it

BENCHMARK SEE IN THE ATTCHMENT !!!!!

🎨 "Vibe Coding": Better Frontend Output

Here's something benchmarks don't capture: GLM-4.7 generates cleaner, more modern UI code.

Better HTML/CSS layouts
Proper spacing and typography
High-contrast dark modes that actually look professional
Slides and posters with consistent aesthetics

If you've ever gotten "technically valid but ugly" code from AI, GLM-4.7 addresses that pain point directly.

🔓 Why Open-Source Matters

With 355B total parameters (32B active via MoE architecture), GLM-4.7 offers:

Full transparency: Weights available on HuggingFace and ModelScope
Self-hosting: Deploy in air-gapped environments for regulated industries
Fine-tuning: Customize on proprietary datasets
No vendor lock-in: MIT licensed
200K context window with 128K max output

🤔 When to Choose GLM-4.7

Choose GLM-4.7 when:

Cost-efficiency is critical
You need strong tool-use and agentic workflows
You want open-source flexibility and customization
Building AI coding assistants or IDE plugins
Running long, multi-turn coding sessions

Consider alternatives when:

Maximum benchmark reliability is non-negotiable (Claude still edges ahead on SWE-bench)
You need the deepest ecosystem integration (GPT-5.1)
Absolute lowest cost is priority (DeepSeek V3.2 is cheaper)

🏁 The Bottom Line

GLM-4.7 represents a watershed moment: the first open-source model to genuinely compete with Claude and GPT on real-world coding benchmarks.

The gap between proprietary and open-source has closed substantially. For developers who want Claude-like capabilities without Claude-like pricing, GLM-4.7 deserves serious consideration.

The AI coding assistant landscape is no longer a two-horse race. And that's good news for everyone building with AI.

What's your experience with open-source LLMs for coding? Have you tried GLM-4.7 yet?

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