GLM-5.3 vs o4-mini
GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. o4-mini is 1.1x cheaper per token.
Zhipu AI · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GLM-5.3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks. GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, o4-mini is roughly 1.1x 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 want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 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 o4-mini
- cost matters — it's about 1.1x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GLM-5.3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
GLM-5.3 significantly outperforms across most 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 1.3x more expensive than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GLM-5.3 ($4.40/1M tokens) costs the same as o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GLM-5.3 is more expensive than o4-mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GLM-5.3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to o4-mini's 200,000 tokens. GLM-5.3 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
o4-mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas GLM-5.3 does not.
o4-mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GLM-5.3
o4-mini
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GLM-5.3 was released on 2026-08-14, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.
GLM-5.3 is 16 months newer than o4-mini.
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.3yr newerApr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
o4-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while GLM-5.3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm o4-mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without GLM-5.3's cutoff date.
—
May 2024
Provider Availability
GLM-5.3 is available from ZAI. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.
GLM-5.3
o4-mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GLM-5.3 and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GLM-5.3 vs o4-mini.