text model comparison
Gemini 3.6 Flash vs GLM-5.3
Gemini 3.6 Flash and GLM-5.3 are both current text models, from Google and Z.ai. GLM-5.3 is 7% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.6 Flash, $1.40 vs $1.50. On Arena Text, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1482 Elo and GLM-5.3 1478 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 2026). Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Data verified October 13, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-13
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Gemini 3.6 Flash | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $1.50 | $1.40 (better) |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $7.50 | $4.40 (better) |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $30 | $22.80 (better) |
| Arena Text | 1482 Elo (#14 of 49) (better) | 1478 Elo (#18 of 49) |
| GPQA Diamond | 94.1% (#8 of 40) (better) | 90.9% (#22 of 40) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 58.9% (#29 of 40) | 68.8% (#21 of 40) (better) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 66.2% (#11 of 36) (better) | 41% (#27 of 36) |
| Provider | Z.ai | |
| Release date | July 21, 2026 | August 18, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API and open weights |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max output | 65,536 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Input | text, image, audio, video | text |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Best for
- Current multimodal agentic evaluations balancing speed and capability
Watch out for
- Not in the pinned LiveBench snapshot; its independent scores here come from Epoch AI's own GPQA Diamond, FrontierMath and SimpleQA Verified runs
GLM-5.3
Best for
- Long-horizon agentic coding
- Self-hosted reasoning with permissive weights
Watch out for
- Text input only, and reasoning cannot be turned off: requests that disable thinking fail
- The licence requires a Z.ai security review before very large model-as-a-service operators use it commercially
Gemini 3.6 Flash vs GLM-5.3 FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.6 Flash or GLM-5.3?
GLM-5.3 is 7% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.6 Flash, $1.40 vs $1.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $30 and GLM-5.3 $22.80 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Gemini 3.6 Flash or GLM-5.3?
Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on Arena Text, 1482 Elo to 1478 Elo; Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 94.1% to 90.9%; GLM-5.3 leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 68.8% to 58.9%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, Gemini 3.6 Flash or GLM-5.3?
Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Can I run Gemini 3.6 Flash or GLM-5.3 myself?
GLM-5.3 is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3.6 Flash is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between Gemini 3.6 Flash and GLM-5.3?
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- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
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