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GLM-5.3 vs MAI-Thinking-1

Comparing GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Zhipu AI · Microsoft · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1 trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.

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

Choose GLM-5.3

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

Choose MAI-Thinking-1

  • you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GLM-5.3
Zhipu AI
MAI-Thinking-1
Microsoft
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$1.40 / M
— / M
Output price
$4.40 / M
— / M
Context window
1,000,000
—
Released
Aug 2026
Jun 2026
License
Unknown
Proprietary

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1don'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

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

247.0B diff

MAI-Thinking-1 has 247.0B more parameters than GLM-5.3, making it 32.8% larger.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
753.0Bparameters
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
1.0Tparameters
753.0B
GLM-5.3
1000.0B
MAI-Thinking-1

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GLM-5.3 specifies input context (1,000,000 tokens). Only GLM-5.3 specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14, while MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02.

GLM-5.3 is 2 months newer than MAI-Thinking-1.

GLM-5.3

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

2mo newer
MAI-Thinking-1

Jun 2, 2026

2 months ago

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→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GLM-5.3
✓ Preferred
MAI-Thinking-1
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5.3 vs MAI-Thinking-1.

Which is better, GLM-5.3 or MAI-Thinking-1?

GLM-5.3 (Zhipu AI) and MAI-Thinking-1 (Microsoft) 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 MAI-Thinking-1 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%. MAI-Thinking-1 scores LongFact: 98.0%, AIME 2025: 97.0%, AIME 2026: 94.5%, GraphWalks: 90.0%, AIR-Bench: 88.0%.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1?

GLM-5.3 supports 1.0M tokens and MAI-Thinking-1 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-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1?

Key differences include licensing (Unknown vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GLM-5.3 and MAI-Thinking-1?

GLM-5.3 is developed by Zhipu AI and MAI-Thinking-1 is developed by Microsoft.

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