GLM-5.3 vs GLM-5.3-Flash
GLM-5.3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. GLM-5.3-Flash is 9.1x cheaper per token.
Zhipu AI · Zhipu AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GLM-5.3 outperforms in 5 benchmarks (Agents' Last Exam, DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, NL2Repo, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while GLM-5.3-Flash is better at 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, GDPval-AA, Toolathlon). GLM-5.3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, GLM-5.3-Flash is roughly 9.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GLM-5.3
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 8 shared benchmarks
Choose GLM-5.3-Flash
- cost matters — it's about 9.1x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5.3 outperforms in 5 benchmarks (Agents' Last Exam, DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, NL2Repo, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while GLM-5.3-Flash is better at 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, GDPval-AA, Toolathlon).
GLM-5.3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens) is 9.3x more expensive than GLM-5.3-Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens) is 8.8x more expensive than GLM-5.3-Flash ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than GLM-5.3-Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
GLM-5.3 has 433.0B more parameters than GLM-5.3-Flash, making it 135.3% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 131,072 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GLM-5.3-Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.
GLM-5.3-Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GLM-5.3
GLM-5.3-Flash
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14, while GLM-5.3-Flash was released on 2026-08-26.
GLM-5.3-Flash is 0 month newer than GLM-5.3.
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
Aug 26, 2026
0 days ago
1w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI. GLM-5.3-Flash is available from ZAI.
GLM-5.3
GLM-5.3-Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5.3 vs GLM-5.3-Flash.