Claude Opus 4.8 vs GLM-5.3
GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5.3 is 4.7x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Opus 4.8 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 5 benchmarks (CyberGym, DeepSWE 1.1, FrontierSWE, Humanity's Last Exam, Toolathlon). GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, GLM-5.3 is roughly 4.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude Opus 4.8
- you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output
Choose GLM-5.3
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 4.7x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Opus 4.8 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 5 benchmarks (CyberGym, DeepSWE 1.1, FrontierSWE, Humanity's Last Exam, Toolathlon).
GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 4.8 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 3.6x more expensive than GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 4.8 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 5.7x more expensive than GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.8 is more expensive than GLM-5.3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Claude Opus 4.8 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.
Claude Opus 4.8 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude Opus 4.8
GLM-5.3
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Opus 4.8 was released on 2026-05-28, while GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14.
GLM-5.3 is 3 months newer than Claude Opus 4.8.
May 28, 2026
2 months ago
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude Opus 4.8 is available from Anthropic, Vertex AI. GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI.
Claude Opus 4.8
GLM-5.3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 4.8 and GLM-5.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 4.8 vs GLM-5.3.