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Gemma 3 12B vs GLM-5.3-Flash

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

Google · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

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

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 3.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GLM-5.3-Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 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 3.8x cheaper per token

Choose GLM-5.3-Flash

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 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-Flash
Zhipu AI
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$0.05 / M
$0.15 / M
Output price
$0.10 / M
$0.50 / M
Context window
131,072
1,048,576
Released
Mar 2025
Aug 2026
License
Gemma
MIT

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3-Flashdon'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 3.0x cheaper than GLM-5.3-Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than GLM-5.3-Flash ($0.50/1M tokens).

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

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Aug 28 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3-Flash
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

308.0B diff

GLM-5.3-Flash has 308.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 12B, making it 2566.7% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
12.0Bparameters
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3-Flash
320.0Bparameters
12.0B
Gemma 3 12B
320.0B
GLM-5.3-Flash

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GLM-5.3-Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 12B's 131,072 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 131,072 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3-Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Aug 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3-Flash support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GLM-5.3-Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while GLM-5.3-Flash uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

GLM-5.3-Flash

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while GLM-5.3-Flash was released on 2026-08-26.

GLM-5.3-Flash is 18 months newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.5 years ago

GLM-5.3-Flash

Aug 26, 2026

2 days ago

1.5yr 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-Flash is available from DeepInfra, Novita, ZAI.

Gemma 3 12B

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

GLM-5.3-Flash

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M
z logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M
* 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-Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

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

FAQ

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

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

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and GLM-5.3-Flash (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-Flash 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-Flash scores CharXiv-R: 89.4%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 84.3%, MMVU: 80.5%, Toolathlon: 78.4%, Chartography: 78.0%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than GLM-5.3-Flash?

Gemma 3 12B is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. GLM-5.3-Flash costs $0.15/M input and $0.50/M output via deepinfra.

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

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

Key differences include context window (131K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.05 vs $0.15/M), licensing (Gemma vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and GLM-5.3-Flash?

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

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