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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 4 31B vs GLM 5.3

Gemma 4 31B (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 19 August 2026

As of 19 August 2026, GLM 5.3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#7 vs #29); Gemma 4 31B is 12.9× cheaper per output token ($0.34/1M vs $4.40/1M); GLM 5.3 offers the longer context window (1M vs 262K tokens); and Gemma 4 31B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.34/1M output tokens against $4.40/1M, about 12.9× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.09/1M against $1.40/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Gemma 4 31B ships open weights while GLM 5.3 is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 15 listed API providers against 1.

Choose GLM 5.3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #7 against #29 (78.4 vs 60.6 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 262K.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.5 against 29.7.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 was listed 18 August 2026, Gemma 4 31B 2 April 2026.

Gemma 4 31B vs GLM 5.3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 4 31B and GLM 5.3
FieldGemma 4 31BGoogleGLM 5.3Z.ai
ModelCap Index position#29#7
Index score60.678.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.09$1.40
Output price / 1M tokens$0.34$4.40
Context window262K tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens16K131K
API providers listed151
Weight accessOpen weightsAPI only
Input modalitiesImage, Text, VideoText
First listed2 April 202618 August 2026
PublisherGoogleZ.ai

Evidence: 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 4 31B vs GLM 5.3

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 4 31B or GLM 5.3 has a published result
BoardGemma 4 31BGLM 5.3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14991483–1514—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena-18.9%-21.7%–-16.0%—Only one result
WildClawBench OpenClawWildClawBench37.6—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis29.7intelligence-index59.5intelligence-indexGLM 5.3

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.

Gemma 4 31B vs GLM 5.3: common questions

Is Gemma 4 31B better than GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 19 August 2026: #7 against #29. 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.

Is Gemma 4 31B cheaper than GLM 5.3?

Gemma 4 31B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.34/1M against $4.40/1M. Input tokens are $0.09/1M for Gemma 4 31B and $1.40/1M for GLM 5.3. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 4 31B or GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 4 31B or GLM 5.3?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Gemma 4 31B and GLM 5.3 open-weight models?

Gemma 4 31B: Open weights. GLM 5.3: API only. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemma 4 31B and GLM 5.3?

ModelCap currently lists 15 API providers for Gemma 4 31B and 1 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 Gemma 4 31B vs GLM 5.3 comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 19 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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