Model Comparison

GLM-5 vs Grok-3Which is better in 2026?

Comparing GLM-5 and Grok-3 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: GLM-5 vs Grok-3 — which is better?

GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Grok-3 (by xAI) 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, GLM-5 is roughly 3.9x 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…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.9x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Grok-3 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

GLM-5 and Grok-3 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

GLM-5 costs less

For input processing, GLM-5 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 4.7x cheaper than Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-3 is more expensive than GLM-5.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Input tokens$1.00
Output tokens$3.20
Best providerFriendliAI
xAI
Grok-3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GLM-5 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3's 128,000 tokens. GLM-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Grok-3 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Input200,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
xAI
Grok-3
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.

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

GLM-5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Grok-3 uses a proprietary license.

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

GLM-5

MIT

Open weights

Grok-3

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17.

GLM-5 is 12 months newer than Grok-3.

GLM-5

Feb 11, 2026

3 months ago

11mo newer
Grok-3

Feb 17, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while GLM-5's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok-3's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5's cutoff date.

GLM-5

—

Grok-3

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Grok-3 is available from xAI.

GLM-5

friendli logo
FriendliAI
Input Price:Input: $1.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.20/1M
z logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $1.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.20/1M

Grok-3

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Zhipu AI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
xAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Zhipu AIGLM-5
xAIGrok-3
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Zhipu AI
GLM-5
xAI
Grok-3

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5 vs Grok-3.

Which is better, GLM-5 or Grok-3?

GLM-5 (Zhipu AI) and Grok-3 (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does GLM-5 compare to Grok-3 in benchmarks?

GLM-5 scores t2-bench: 89.7%, SWE-Bench Verified: 77.8%, BrowseComp: 75.9%, MCP Atlas: 67.8%, Terminal-Bench 2.0: 56.2%. Grok-3 scores AIME 2024: 93.3%, AIME 2025: 93.3%, GPQA: 84.6%, LiveCodeBench: 79.4%, MMMU: 78.0%.

Is GLM-5 cheaper than Grok-3?

GLM-5 is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. GLM-5 costs $1.00/M input and $3.20/M output via friendli. Grok-3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via xai.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5 and Grok-3?

GLM-5 supports 200K tokens and Grok-3 supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GLM-5 and Grok-3?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 128K), input pricing ($1.00 vs $3.00/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GLM-5 and Grok-3?

GLM-5 is developed by Zhipu AI and Grok-3 is developed by xAI.

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