Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Gemma 3 4BWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing GLM-5 and Gemma 3 4B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Gemma 3 4B — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Gemma 3 4B (by Google) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 62.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GLM-5 also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GLM-5 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
Choose Gemma 3 4B if…
- cost matters — it's about 62.0x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 and Gemma 3 4B don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GLM-5 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 50.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 4B ($0.02/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 80.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5 is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5 has 740.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 4B, making it 18500.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 4B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GLM-5 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemma 3 4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.
Gemma 3 4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GLM-5
Gemma 3 4B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Gemma 3 4B uses Gemma.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Gemma
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12.
GLM-5 is 11 months newer than Gemma 3 4B.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
11mo newerMar 12, 2025
1.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3 4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while GLM-5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 3 4B's training data extends to 2024-08-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5's cutoff date.
—
Aug 2024
Provider Availability
GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra.
GLM-5
Gemma 3 4B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Gemma 3 4B
View detailsDetailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Gemma 3 4B.