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Head-to-head comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5.3

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (Google) and GLM 5.3 (Z.ai) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 7 October 2026

As of 7 October 2026, GLM 5.3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#16 vs #31); and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is 2.8× cheaper per output token ($2.50/1M vs $7.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite if…

  • API cost matters — $2.50/1M output tokens against $7.00/1M, about 2.8× cheaper.

Choose GLM 5.3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #16 against #31 (80.1 vs 72.9 points).
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.07/1M against $0.30/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 32 listed API providers against 2.
  • Arena text is your yardstick — 1478 against 1455.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1521 against 1501.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 44.8 against 22.2.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 83.9% against 53.6%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 42.3% against 18.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 was listed 18 August 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 21 July 2026.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5.3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and GLM 5.3
FieldGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGoogleGLM 5.3Z.ai
ModelCap Index position#31#16
Index score72.980.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$0.07
Output price / 1M tokens$2.50$7.00
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Declared route output cap66K944K
API providers listed232
Weight accessNo linked weightsRestricted license
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, File, AudioText
First listed21 July 202618 August 2026
PublisherGoogleZ.ai

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5.3

Public benchmark boards where Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or GLM 5.3 has a published result
BoardGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGLM 5.3Leads
Arena textArena (LMArena)14551450–1459Not reported14781473–1484MaxGLM 5.3
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15011494–150815211511–1530MaxGLM 5.3
LMArena AgentLMArena—2.4%1.7%–3.0%MaxOnly one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation10.3%High—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis22.2Reasoning44.8MaxGLM 5.3
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis53.6%Reasoning83.9%MaxGLM 5.3
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis18.8%Reasoning42.3%MaxGLM 5.3
Terminal-Bench 4.0Terminal-Bench (Laude Institute)—41.8%38.6%–45.1%Claude Code · MaxOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5.3: common questions

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite better than GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 7 October 2026: #16 against #31. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite cheaper than GLM 5.3?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is cheaper on output tokens: $2.50/1M against $7.00/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and $0.07/1M for GLM 5.3. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $1.85 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite versus $3.64 for GLM 5.3. Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite costs 49.2% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or GLM 5.3?

Both publish a 1M-token context window. OpenRouter catalogue or provider-endpoint declaration. Limits can vary by provider and prompt length; a model-wide maximum has not been independently verified.

Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or GLM 5.3?

Arena coding: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 1501, GLM 5.3 1521 — GLM 5.3 leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 53.6%, GLM 5.3 83.9% — GLM 5.3 leads.

Are Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and GLM 5.3 open-weight models?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: No linked weights. GLM 5.3: Restricted license. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence. A missing weight link does not identify every API or chat product that offers a model.

Where can I run Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and GLM 5.3?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and 32 for GLM 5.3, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5.3 comparison?

Every figure and ModelCap Index position comes from the same published snapshot dated 7 October 2026. Publication and page updates happen separately; use the snapshot date shown on the page.

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