Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs GLM-5.3
GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 10.9x cheaper per token.
Google · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 4 26B-A4B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 1 benchmark (Humanity's Last Exam). GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 10.9x 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 4 26B-A4B
- cost matters — it's about 10.9x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GLM-5.3
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- 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.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 4 26B-A4B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GLM-5.3 is better at 1 benchmark (Humanity's Last Exam).
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, Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens) is 10.8x cheaper than GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens) is 11.0x cheaper than GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5.3 has 727.8B more parameters than Gemma 4 26B-A4B, making it 2888.1% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5.3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B's 262,144 tokens. Gemma 4 26B-A4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GLM-5.3 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemma 4 26B-A4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
GLM-5.3
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02, while GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14.
GLM-5.3 is 4 months newer than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.
Apr 2, 2026
4 months ago
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
4mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while GLM-5.3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 4 26B-A4B's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5.3's cutoff date.
Jan 2025
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Provider Availability
Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita. GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
GLM-5.3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 4 26B-A4B and GLM-5.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs GLM-5.3.