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Claude Sonnet 5 vs GLM-5.3

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5.3 is 1.9x cheaper per token.

Anthropic · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 4 benchmarks (AutomationBench, DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, Toolathlon). GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GLM-5.3 is roughly 1.9x 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 Sonnet 5

  • you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output

Choose GLM-5.3

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Claude Sonnet 5
Anthropic
GLM-5.3
Zhipu AI
Benchmark wins
0 of 4
4 of 4
Input price
$2.00 / M
$1.40 / M
Output price
$10.00 / M
$4.40 / M
Context window
1,000,000
1,000,000
Released
Jun 2026
Aug 2026
License
Proprietary
Unknown

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 5 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 4 benchmarks (AutomationBench, DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, Toolathlon).

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GLM-5.3 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 5 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 2.3x more expensive than GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 5 is more expensive than GLM-5.3.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerAnthropic
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input tokens$1.40
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerUnknown Organization
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. GLM-5.3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.

Claude Sonnet 5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Sonnet 5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GLM-5.3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 5 was released on 2026-06-30, while GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14.

GLM-5.3 is 2 months newer than Claude Sonnet 5.

Claude Sonnet 5

Jun 30, 2026

1 months ago

GLM-5.3

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 5 is available from Anthropic. GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI.

Claude Sonnet 5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

GLM-5.3

z logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $1.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 5 and GLM-5.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Sonnet 5
✓ Preferred
GLM-5.3
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 5 vs GLM-5.3.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5 or GLM-5.3?

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 5 is made by Anthropic and GLM-5.3 is made by Zhipu AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 5 compare to GLM-5.3 in benchmarks?

Claude Sonnet 5 scores CharXiv-R: 88.3%, ChartMuseum: 86.7%, SWE-Bench Verified: 85.2%, BrowseComp: 84.7%, GDP.pdf: 81.6%. GLM-5.3 scores Terminal-Bench 2.1: 88.2%, CyberGym: 84.5%, FrontierSWE: 78.1%, Toolathlon: 73.0%, DeepSWE 1.1: 66.9%.

Is Claude Sonnet 5 cheaper than GLM-5.3?

GLM-5.3 is 1.4x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 5 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via anthropic. GLM-5.3 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output via z.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5 and GLM-5.3?

Claude Sonnet 5 supports 1.0M tokens and GLM-5.3 supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Sonnet 5 and GLM-5.3?

Key differences include input pricing ($2.00 vs $1.40/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 5 and GLM-5.3?

Claude Sonnet 5 is developed by Anthropic and GLM-5.3 is developed by Zhipu AI.

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