Model comparison - Similar price, same tier
Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GLM-5.3
Gemini 3.8 Flash is from Google and GLM-5.3 is from Z.ai. On list price, GLM-5.3 charges 1.9x Gemini 3.8 Flash's input price ($1.40 vs $0.75 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3.8 Flash charges 15% less than GLM-5.3 for output ($3.75 vs $4.40 per 1M tokens). Gemini 3.8 Flash has a 1,048,576-token context window and GLM-5.3 1,000,000 tokens; max output is 65,536 and 128,000 tokens per response. Gemini 3.8 Flash was released on September 2, 2026 and GLM-5.3 on August 18, 2026. GLM-5.3 publishes open weights (GLM-5.3 license (Hugging Face license tag: other)); Gemini 3.8 Flash is closed-weights.
Last verified from each provider's pricing page. All sources
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Gemini 3.8 Flash | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Z.ai | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.75 | $1.40 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $3.75 | $4.40 |
| Cache read / 1M | $0.075 | $0.26 |
| Batch input / 1M | $0.375 | - |
| Batch output / 1M | $1.875 | - |
| Context window | 1,048,576 | 1,000,000 |
| Max output | 65,536 | 128,000 |
| Release date | ||
| Weights | Closed | Open |
| License | - | GLM-5.3 license (Hugging Face license tag: other) |
| API model id | gemini-3.8-flash | glm-5.3 |
| AI Gateway id | google/gemini-3.8-flash | zai/glm-5.3 |
| Last verified |
Prices in USD per 1M tokens at each provider's standard first-party rate. A dash means the provider does not bill that item separately or no primary page states it.
What each costs in practice
The same three workloads every model page uses, worked from each model's standard list rates. Swap in your own token counts with the math on each model's page.
| Workload | Gemini 3.8 Flash | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| One agent session1M input tokens and 100K output tokens, no caching. | $1.13 | $1.84 |
| A chat app10,000 requests a day at 2K input and 500 output tokens each. | $33.75$1,012.50 per 30-day month | $50.00$1,500.00 per 30-day month |
| The same session at a 90% cache hit90% of the input is read from the prompt cache. The one-time cache write premium is not included. | $0.5175 | $0.814 |
Show the math
Gemini 3.8 Flash
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $0.75 = $0.75Output: 0.1M x $3.75 = $0.375
- A chat appInput: 20M x $0.75 = $15.00Output: 5M x $3.75 = $18.75
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.075 = $0.0675Uncached input: 0.1M x $0.75 = $0.075Output: 0.1M x $3.75 = $0.375
GLM-5.3
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $1.40 = $1.40Output: 0.1M x $4.40 = $0.44
- A chat appInput: 20M x $1.40 = $28.00Output: 5M x $4.40 = $22.00
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.26 = $0.234Uncached input: 0.1M x $1.40 = $0.14Output: 0.1M x $4.40 = $0.44
Benchmarks under the same setting
No board in the benchmark directory lists both Gemini 3.8 Flash and GLM-5.3 under the same setting, so there is no like-for-like score to show here.
Set them up in your tools
Step-by-step guides whose official docs list Gemini 3.8 Flash or GLM-5.3 by model id.
- Use Gemini in ClineLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in ContinueLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in CursorLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in GooseLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in Kilo CodeLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in OpenCodeLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use Gemini in ZedLists Gemini 3.8 Flash
- Use GLM in AiderLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in Claude CodeLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in ClineLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in Codex CLILists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in ContinueLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in CursorLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in GooseLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in Kilo CodeLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in OpenCodeLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in Roo CodeLists GLM-5.3
- Use GLM in ZedLists GLM-5.3
Model pages
FAQ
How do Gemini 3.8 Flash and GLM-5.3 compare on price?
On list price, GLM-5.3 charges 1.9x Gemini 3.8 Flash's input price ($1.40 vs $0.75 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3.8 Flash charges 15% less than GLM-5.3 for output ($3.75 vs $4.40 per 1M tokens). For one agent session of 1M input and 100K output tokens with no caching, that is $1.13 on Gemini 3.8 Flash and $1.84 on GLM-5.3. Prices are each provider's first-party list rates, verified October 17, 2026 and October 17, 2026.
What are the context windows of Gemini 3.8 Flash and GLM-5.3?
Gemini 3.8 Flash has a 1,048,576-token context window and GLM-5.3 1,000,000 tokens; max output is 65,536 and 128,000 tokens per response.
Are Gemini 3.8 Flash and GLM-5.3 open weights?
Gemini 3.8 Flash is closed-weights and is called through Google's API as gemini-3.8-flash. GLM-5.3's weights are published at huggingface.co under the GLM-5.3 license (Hugging Face license tag: other).
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- GLM-5.3 vs GPT-6.1 SolOpen weights vs closed
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- Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs GLM-5.3Open weights vs closed
- Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Mistral Medium 3.5Similar price, same tier
Sources
Gemini 3.8 Flash verified from ai.google.dev; GLM-5.3 verified from docs.z.ai. This page is as current as the older of the two: .
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing
- https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.8-flash
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/changelog
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models
- https://docs.z.ai/guides/llm/glm-5.3
- https://docs.z.ai/release-notes/new-released
- https://docs.z.ai/openapi.json
- https://huggingface.co/zai-org/GLM-5.3
- https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/v1/models
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