Model Comparison
GLM-5 vs Qwen3 MaxWhich is better in 2026?
GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5 is 1.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GLM-5 vs Qwen3 Max — which is better?
GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Qwen3 Max (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 (SWE-Bench Verified, t2-bench), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks. GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Qwen3 Max also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GLM-5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Qwen3 Max if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified, t2-bench), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks.
GLM-5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GLM-5 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than Qwen3 Max ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5 ($3.20/1M tokens) is 1.6x cheaper than Qwen3 Max ($5.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 Max is more expensive than GLM-5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 Max has 256.0B more parameters than GLM-5, making it 34.4% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 Max accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to GLM-5's 200,000 tokens. Qwen3 Max can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GLM-5 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 Max uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Qwen3 Max was released on 2025-12-15.
GLM-5 is 2 months newer than Qwen3 Max.
Feb 11, 2026
3 months ago
1mo newerDec 15, 2025
5 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GLM-5 is available from FriendliAI, ZAI. Qwen3 Max is available from Novita.
GLM-5
Qwen3 Max
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GLM-5
View detailsZhipu AI
Qwen3 Max
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5 vs Qwen3 Max.