GLM 5.3
GLM 5.3Alternatives?
CheaperMuse Spark 1.2unstated+1%-7%$1.25 / $4.25Only auto tool_choice is supported+1
BetterClaude Opus 5.5unstated+3%+272%$4 / $20No forced tool use+5OpenGLM 5.3 Flashunstatedsame-89%$0.15 / $0.50Defaults to max · Self-hosted+4CheaperClaude Haiku 5.5unstatedsame-91%$0.10 / $0.50Remove sampling parameters+5CheaperMuse Spark 1.1unstatedsame-7%$1.25 / $4.25Only n=1 · Meta / Chat Completions+1Muse Spark 1.2unstated+1%-7%$1.25 / $4.25Only auto tool_choice is supported+1Claude Haiku 5.5unstatedsame-91%$0.10 / $0.50Remove sampling parameters+5GLM 5.3 FlashunstatedOpensame-89%$0.15 / $0.50Defaults to max · Self-hosted+4Muse Spark 1.1unstatedsame-7%$1.25 / $4.25Only n=1 · Meta / Chat Completions+1
MiMo v2.6 ProunstatedOpensame-75%$0.43 / $0.87Memory (4-bit): 452 GB → 615 GB+4Claude Opus 5.5unstated+3%+272%$4 / $20No forced tool use+5Claude Fable 5.1unstated+3%+830%$10 / $50Replace forced tool_choice+5Claude Sonnet 5.5unstated+3%+86%$2 / $10No forced tool use+5Claude Opus 5unstated+2%+365%$5 / $25GLM 5.3 FlashunstatedOpensame-89%$0.15 / $0.50Defaults to max · Self-hosted+4MiMo v2.6 ProunstatedOpensame-75%$0.43 / $0.87Memory (4-bit): 452 GB → 615 GB+4
MiniMax M3unstatedOpen-2%-76%$0.30 / $1.20Context: 1M → 524K+2TInklingunstatedOpen-4%-20%$0.95 / $4.05Context: 1M → 256K+2MiMo v2.6 FlashunstatedOpen-4%-92%$0.14 / $0.28Pass back reasoning_content+3GLM 5.3 FlashunstatedOpensame—$0.15 / $0.50Defaults to max · Self-hosted+4GLM 5.2unstatedOpen-6%—$1.40 / $4.40GLM 5.1unstatedOpen-19%—$1.40 / $4.40Context: 1M → 203KGLM 4.7unstatedOpen-23%—$0.60 / $2.20Context: 1M → 203KGLM 5V Turbothinkingn/a—$1.20 / $4Context: 1M → 203KGLM 5 Turbothinkingn/a—$1.20 / $4Context: 1M → 203KGLM 5thinkingOpenn/a—$1 / $3.20Context: 1M → 203KGLM 4.7 FlashthinkingOpenn/a—$0.061 / $0.40Context: 1M → 200KAll Z.ai models →Run it yourself
estimateHistory
10 versionsBenchmarks
in Chat & KnowledgeWatch out 4
Reasoning cannot be disabled›
Disabling reasoning is unsupported; keep reasoning enabled. Source ↗
tool_choice auto · Z.ai API›
The first-party chat reference exposes only auto for tool_choice. Source ↗
Complete unmodified reasoning_content›
Preserved thinking defaults on for Coding Plan and off for the standard API; when enabled, return complete unmodified reasoning_content in its original order to protect quality and cache hits. Source ↗
Only one stop word›
Only one stop word is supported, so do not rely on a list of alternative stop sequences. Source ↗
FAQ
How much does GLM 5.3 cost?›
$1.40 per 1M input tokens and $4.40 per 1M output tokens; cached input $0.26 per 1M; cheapest via Wafer at $0.079 / $1.40. A typical benchmark task costs about $0.85 at low effort.
Is GLM 5.3 free to use?›
There is no free API; the cheapest paid price is $0.079 per 1M input tokens. The weights are open, so you can run it yourself.
How good is GLM 5.3, and what is it best at?›
#57 of 334 in Chat & Knowledge, #15 of 132 in Coding, #33 of 133 in Agents & Tool Use, #23 of 195 in Writing & Language, #63 of 133 in Vision & Documents. Strongest at: Coding, Reasoning, Science.
Is GLM 5.3 better than GLM 5.2?›
On Vals MedScribe, GLM 5.3 scores 88.8 vs 83.5 — higher.
How can I use GLM 5.3?›
Through the API of AkashML, Alibaba, AtlasCloud, Baidu, Cloudflare and 24 more.
What is the context window of GLM 5.3?›
1M tokens, with up to 131K output tokens.
When was GLM 5.3 released? Is there a newer version?›
Released 2026-08-14. It is the current version in its line.
Is GLM 5.3 open source?›
Yes, the weights are open (glm-5.3 licence).
Can I run GLM 5.3 locally?›
The weights are open and can be self-hosted; hardware needs are not confirmed yet.
Can GLM 5.3 read images?›
No, it accepts text only.
What is GLM 5.3?›
GLM 5.3 is an open-weights language model from Z.ai, released Aug 2026, the successor to GLM 5.2.
What are the best alternatives to GLM 5.3?›
Muse Spark 1.2 (cheaper), Claude Opus 5.5 (better), GLM 5.3 Flash (open weights).