Model Comparison

GLM-5 vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing GLM-5 and Qwen3.8 Max across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: GLM-5 vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

GLM-5 (by Zhipu AI) and Qwen3.8 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.

Choose GLM-5 if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

GLM-5 and Qwen3.8 Maxdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

1656.0B diff

Qwen3.8 Max has 1656.0B more parameters than GLM-5, making it 222.6% larger.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5
744.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
2.4Tparameters
744.0B
GLM-5
2400.0B
Qwen3.8 Max

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GLM-5 specifies input context (200,000 tokens). Only GLM-5 specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Input200,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Aug 04 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Qwen3.8 Max supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5 does not.

Qwen3.8 Max can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GLM-5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GLM-5 is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3.8 Max 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

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5 was released on 2026-02-11, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.

Qwen3.8 Max is 6 months newer than GLM-5.

GLM-5

Feb 11, 2026

5 months ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

2 days ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Zhipu AI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Has open weights
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Supports multimodal inputs

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GLM-5 and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GLM-5
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Zhipu AI
GLM-5
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5 vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, GLM-5 or Qwen3.8 Max?

GLM-5 (Zhipu AI) and Qwen3.8 Max (Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 Qwen3.8 Max 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%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5 and Qwen3.8 Max?

GLM-5 supports 200K tokens and Qwen3.8 Max supports an unknown number of 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 Qwen3.8 Max?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GLM-5 and Qwen3.8 Max?

GLM-5 is developed by Zhipu AI and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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