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Gemma 3 12B vs GLM-5.3

Comparing Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Google · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3 trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 34.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GLM-5.3 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemma 3 12B

  • cost matters — it's about 34.4x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GLM-5.3

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemma 3 12B
Google
GLM-5.3
Zhipu AI
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$0.05 / M
$1.40 / M
Output price
$0.10 / M
$4.40 / M
Context window
131,072
1,000,000
Released
Mar 2025
Aug 2026
License
Gemma
Unknown

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens) is 28.0x cheaper than GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 44.0x cheaper than GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input tokens$1.40
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerUnknown Organization
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

741.0B diff

GLM-5.3 has 741.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 12B, making it 6175.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
12.0Bparameters
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
753.0Bparameters
12.0B
Gemma 3 12B
753.0B
GLM-5.3

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GLM-5.3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 12B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GLM-5.3 is limited to 128,000 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.

Gemma 3 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GLM-5.3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14.

GLM-5.3 is 17 months newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.5 years ago

GLM-5.3

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

1.4yr 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

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI.

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

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 Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 12B
✓ Preferred
GLM-5.3
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs GLM-5.3.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or GLM-5.3?

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and GLM-5.3 (Zhipu AI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to GLM-5.3 in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. 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 Gemma 3 12B cheaper than GLM-5.3?

Gemma 3 12B is 28.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. GLM-5.3 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output via z.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K 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 Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.05 vs $1.40/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Gemma vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and GLM-5.3 is developed by Zhipu AI.

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