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GLM-5.3 vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is 24.6x cheaper per token.

Zhipu AI · NVIDIA · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GLM-5.3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is better at 0 benchmarks. GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is roughly 24.6x 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 want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)

  • cost matters — it's about 24.6x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GLM-5.3
Zhipu AI
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)
NVIDIA
Benchmark wins
2 of 2
0 of 2
Input price
$1.40 / M
$0.05 / M
Output price
$4.40 / M
$0.20 / M
Context window
1,000,000
262,144
Released
Aug 2026
Aug 2026
License
Unknown
OpenMDW License v1.1

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GLM-5.3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is better at 0 benchmarks.

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) costs less

For input processing, GLM-5.3 ($1.40/1M tokens) is 28.0x more expensive than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) ($0.05/1M tokens).

For output processing, GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens) is 22.0x more expensive than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B).*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input tokens$1.40
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerUnknown Organization
NVIDIA
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.20
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

723.0B diff

GLM-5.3 has 723.0B more parameters than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B), making it 2410.0% larger.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
753.0Bparameters
NVIDIA
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)
30.0Bparameters
753.0B
GLM-5.3
30.0B
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GLM-5.3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)'s 262,144 tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while GLM-5.3 is limited to 131,072 tokens.

Zhipu AI
GLM-5.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
NVIDIA
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Wed Aug 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14, while Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) was released on 2026-08-11.

GLM-5.3 is 0 month newer than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B).

GLM-5.3

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

3d newer
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)

Aug 11, 2026

2 weeks 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

Provider Availability

GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is available from DeepInfra.

GLM-5.3

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

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
* 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GLM-5.3
✓ Preferred
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GLM-5.3 vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B).

Which is better, GLM-5.3 or Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)?

GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GLM-5.3 is made by Zhipu AI and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is made by NVIDIA. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GLM-5.3 compare to Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) 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%. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) scores PinchBench: 85.4%, MMLU-Pro: 81.9%, GPQA: 75.4%, IFBench: 71.9%, AA-LCR: 52.0%.

Is GLM-5.3 cheaper than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is 28.0x cheaper for input tokens. GLM-5.3 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output via z. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) costs $0.05/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for GLM-5.3 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)?

GLM-5.3 supports 1.0M tokens and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) supports 262K 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($1.40 vs $0.05/M), licensing (Unknown vs OpenMDW License v1.1). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GLM-5.3 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B)?

GLM-5.3 is developed by Zhipu AI and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (30B A3B) is developed by NVIDIA.

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