text model comparison
Gemini 3 Flash Preview vs GLM-5.3-Flash
Gemini 3 Flash Preview and GLM-5.3-Flash are both current text models, from Google and Z.ai. GLM-5.3-Flash is 70% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3 Flash Preview, $0.15 vs $0.50. On Arena Text, Gemini 3 Flash Preview scores 1473 Elo and GLM-5.3-Flash 1475 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 Flash Preview | GLM-5.3-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.50 | $0.15 (better) |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $3 | $0.50 (better) |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $11 | $2.50 (better) |
| Arena Text | 1473 Elo (#25 of 49) | 1475 Elo (#21 of 49) (better) |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.4% (#30 of 40) | 90.2% (#27 of 40) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 51.2% (#33 of 40) | 55.8% (#31 of 40) (better) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 66.8% (#10 of 36) | Not measured |
| Provider | Z.ai | |
| Release date | December 17, 2025 | August 26, 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, image, video |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Best for
- Fast multimodal and agentic coding evaluations
Watch out for
- This preview endpoint may change before becoming stable and the published price varies by input modality
GLM-5.3-Flash
Best for
- Low-cost coding from screenshots or screen recordings
- Document and research agents on a budget
Watch out for
- Thinking cannot be disabled
- A faster GLM-5.3-FlashX is a separate model id at $0.37 input and $1.25 output per 1M tokens
Gemini 3 Flash Preview vs GLM-5.3-Flash FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3 Flash Preview or GLM-5.3-Flash?
GLM-5.3-Flash is 70% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3 Flash Preview, $0.15 vs $0.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, Gemini 3 Flash Preview costs $11 and GLM-5.3-Flash $2.50 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Gemini 3 Flash Preview or GLM-5.3-Flash?
GLM-5.3-Flash leads on Arena Text, 1475 Elo to 1473 Elo; GLM-5.3-Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 90.2% to 89.4%; GLM-5.3-Flash leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 55.8% to 51.2%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, Gemini 3 Flash Preview or GLM-5.3-Flash?
Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Can I run Gemini 3 Flash Preview or GLM-5.3-Flash myself?
GLM-5.3-Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3 Flash Preview is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between Gemini 3 Flash Preview and GLM-5.3-Flash?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty