Model Comparison

GLM-5 vs o3Which is better in 2026?

GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5 is 2.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GLM-5 vs o3 — which is better?

GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and o3 (by OpenAI) 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.

GLM-5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, SWE-Bench Verified), while o3 is better at 0 benchmarks. GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GLM-5 is roughly 2.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose GLM-5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 2.3x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose o3 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $8.00/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GLM-5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, SWE-Bench Verified), while o3 is better at 0 benchmarks.

GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

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 2.0x cheaper than o3 ($2.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than o3 ($8.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o3 is more expensive than GLM-5.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Input tokens$1.00
Output tokens$3.20
Best providerFriendliAI
OpenAI
o3
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$8.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 200,000 tokens. GLM-5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while o3 is limited to 100,000 tokens.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Input200,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
OpenAI
o3
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

o3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.

o3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GLM-5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

o3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while o3 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

o3

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while o3 was released on 2025-04-16.

GLM-5 is 10 months newer than o3.

GLM-5

Feb 11, 2026

5 months ago

10mo newer
o3

Apr 16, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

o3 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while GLM-5's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm o3's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5's cutoff date.

GLM-5

—

o3

May 2024

Provider Availability

GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. o3 is available from OpenAI.

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

o3

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $8.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Zhipu AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher BrowseComp score (75.9% vs 49.7%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (77.8% vs 69.1%)
OpenAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Zhipu AIGLM-5
OpenAIo3
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GLM-5 and o3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GLM-5
✓ Preferred
o3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Zhipu AI
GLM-5
OpenAI
o3

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5 vs o3.

Which is better, GLM-5 or o3?

GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5 is made by Zhipu AI and o3 is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GLM-5 compare to o3 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%. o3 scores COLLIE: 98.4%, AIME 2024: 91.6%, ARC-AGI: 88.0%, MathVista: 86.8%, AIME 2025: 86.4%.

Is GLM-5 cheaper than o3?

GLM-5 is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. GLM-5 costs $1.00/M input and $3.20/M output via friendli. o3 costs $2.00/M input and $8.00/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5 and o3?

GLM-5 supports 200K tokens and o3 supports 200K 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 o3?

Key differences include input pricing ($1.00 vs $2.00/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 o3?

GLM-5 is developed by Zhipu AI and o3 is developed by OpenAI.

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