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Head-to-head comparison

MiniMax M3 vs GLM 5.3

MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) 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 #22); and MiniMax M3 is 3.7× cheaper per output token ($1.20/1M vs $4.40/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose MiniMax M3 if…

  • API cost matters — $1.20/1M output tokens against $4.40/1M, about 3.7× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $1.40/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 12 listed API providers against 1.

Choose GLM 5.3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #7 against #22 (78.4 vs 65.9 points).
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.5 against 45.4.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 was listed 18 August 2026, MiniMax M3 31 May 2026.

MiniMax M3 vs GLM 5.3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of MiniMax M3 and GLM 5.3
FieldMiniMax M3MiniMaxGLM 5.3Z.ai
ModelCap Index position#22#7
Index score65.978.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$1.40
Output price / 1M tokens$1.20$4.40
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens512K131K
API providers listed121
Weight accessRestricted licenseAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText
First listed31 May 202618 August 2026
PublisherMiniMaxZ.ai

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 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: MiniMax M3 vs GLM 5.3

Public benchmark boards where MiniMax M3 or GLM 5.3 has a published result
BoardMiniMax M3GLM 5.3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14971490–1504—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena-2.5%-3.4%–-1.7%—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis45.4intelligence-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.

MiniMax M3 vs GLM 5.3: common questions

Is MiniMax M3 better than GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 19 August 2026: #7 against #22. 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 MiniMax M3 cheaper than GLM 5.3?

MiniMax M3 is cheaper on output tokens: $1.20/1M against $4.40/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for MiniMax M3 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, MiniMax M3 or GLM 5.3?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, MiniMax M3 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 MiniMax M3 and GLM 5.3 open-weight models?

MiniMax M3: Restricted license. 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 MiniMax M3 and GLM 5.3?

ModelCap currently lists 12 API providers for MiniMax M3 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 MiniMax M3 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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