Cheaper alternatives to Gemini 2.5 Pro
Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 1463 on the overall Arena and costs about $687.50/month at 100,000 calls (1,500 in / 500 out). Here are models that match or beat it on quality for less.
| GLM-5.2 | 1463 | $430.00 | $257.50/mo | Z.ai (Zhipu AI) |
Intelligence scores are community Arena ratings from LMArena / arena.ai, used under CC BY 4.0. Snapshot last refreshed 28 July 2026. Scores are a relative signal, not an absolute measure of capability. A Measured score was voted on directly; an Estimated score is inherited from an identical base model (a regional/creator-prefixed hosting duplicate). See our methodology.
FAQ
Is there a cheaper model as good as Gemini 2.5 Pro?
Yes. GLM-5.2 matches or beats Gemini 2.5 Pro on the overall Arena leaderboard and costs about $430.00/month versus $687.50/month at a typical volume of 100,000 calls — saving roughly $257.50/month.
How is 'as good' defined?
We only list models with an overall Arena score at or above Gemini 2.5 Pro's (1463). Arena scores are community preference ratings, not a single benchmark — confirm the alternative on your own task before switching.
Cite / link to this page
You’re welcome to reference this page and its figures with attribution and a link back.
https://aicalculatorpro.com/alternatives/gemini-2-5-pro/<a href="https://aicalculatorpro.com/alternatives/gemini-2-5-pro/">Cheaper alternatives to Gemini 2.5 Pro — AI Calculator Pro</a>