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GLM-5.3 vs K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

Comparing GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Zhipu AI · LG AI Research · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.

On price, K-EXAONE-236B-A23B is roughly 3.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GLM-5.3 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose GLM-5.3

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Choose K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

  • cost matters — it's about 3.1x cheaper per token

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GLM-5.3
Zhipu AI
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B
LG AI Research
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$1.40 / M
$0.60 / M
Output price
$4.40 / M
$1.00 / M
Context window
1,000,000
32,768
Released
Aug 2026
Dec 2025
License
Unknown
Proprietary

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23Bdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

K-EXAONE-236B-A23B costs less

For input processing, GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens) is 2.3x more expensive than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B ($0.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens) is 4.4x more expensive than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B ($1.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input tokens$1.40
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerUnknown Organization
LG AI Research
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerFriendliAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

517.0B diff

GLM-5.3 has 517.0B more parameters than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B, making it 219.1% larger.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
753.0Bparameters
LG AI Research
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B
236.0Bparameters
753.0B
GLM-5.3
236.0B
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GLM-5.3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to K-EXAONE-236B-A23B's 32,768 tokens. GLM-5.3 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while K-EXAONE-236B-A23B is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
LG AI Research
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14, while K-EXAONE-236B-A23B was released on 2025-12-31.

GLM-5.3 is 8 months newer than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B.

GLM-5.3

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

7mo newer
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

Dec 31, 2025

7 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

K-EXAONE-236B-A23B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-10-01, while GLM-5.3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm K-EXAONE-236B-A23B's training data extends to 2025-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5.3's cutoff date.

GLM-5.3

—

K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

Oct 2025

Provider Availability

GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI. K-EXAONE-236B-A23B is available from FriendliAI.

GLM-5.3

z logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $1.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M

K-EXAONE-236B-A23B

friendli logo
FriendliAI
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GLM-5.3
✓ Preferred
K-EXAONE-236B-A23B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5.3 vs K-EXAONE-236B-A23B.

Which is better, GLM-5.3 or K-EXAONE-236B-A23B?

GLM-5.3 (Zhipu AI) and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B (LG AI Research) 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-5.3 compare to K-EXAONE-236B-A23B in benchmarks?

GLM-5.3 scores Terminal-Bench 2.1: 88.2%, CyberGym: 84.5%, FrontierSWE: 78.1%, Toolathlon: 73.0%, DeepSWE 1.1: 66.9%. K-EXAONE-236B-A23B scores AIME 2025: 92.8%, MMMLU: 85.7%, MMLU-Pro: 83.8%, LiveCodeBench v6: 80.7%, t2-bench: 73.2%.

Is GLM-5.3 cheaper than K-EXAONE-236B-A23B?

K-EXAONE-236B-A23B is 2.3x cheaper for input tokens. GLM-5.3 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output via z. K-EXAONE-236B-A23B costs $0.60/M input and $1.00/M output via friendli.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B?

GLM-5.3 supports 1.0M tokens and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B supports 33K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 33K), input pricing ($1.40 vs $0.60/M), licensing (Unknown vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GLM-5.3 and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B?

GLM-5.3 is developed by Zhipu AI and K-EXAONE-236B-A23B is developed by LG AI Research.

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