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Head-to-head comparison

Kimi K3 vs GLM 5.3 Flash

Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI) and GLM 5.3 Flash (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 9 September 2026

As of 9 September 2026, Kimi K3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#6 vs #11); GLM 5.3 Flash is 60× cheaper per output token ($0.25/1M vs $15.00/1M); GLM 5.3 Flash offers the longer context window (1.3M vs 1M tokens); and GLM 5.3 Flash ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #6 against #11 (82.6 vs 78.7 points).
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1542 against 1534.
  • LMArena Agent is your yardstick — 6.6% against 2.0%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 43.8 against 41.9.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 85.0% against 84.3%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 46.9% against 39.9%.

Choose GLM 5.3 Flash if…

  • API cost matters — $0.25/1M output tokens against $15.00/1M, about 60× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.075/1M against $3.00/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1.3M tokens against 1M.
  • you want to self-host: GLM 5.3 Flash ships open weights while Kimi K3 is restricted license.
  • you want provider choice — 26 listed API providers against 16.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 Flash was listed 26 August 2026, Kimi K3 16 July 2026.

Kimi K3 vs GLM 5.3 Flash: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Kimi K3 and GLM 5.3 Flash
FieldKimi K3Moonshot AIGLM 5.3 FlashZ.ai
ModelCap Index position#6#11
Index score82.678.7
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$3.00$0.075
Output price / 1M tokens$15.00$0.25
Context window1M tokens1.3M tokens
Max output tokens944K131K
API providers listed1626
Weight accessRestricted licenseOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText, Image, Video
First listed16 July 202626 August 2026
PublisherMoonshot AIZ.ai

Evidence: 6 public benchmark observations across 6 boards · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Kimi K3 vs GLM 5.3 Flash

Public benchmark boards where Kimi K3 or GLM 5.3 Flash has a published result
BoardKimi K3GLM 5.3 FlashLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15421533–1551Max15341517–1551Kimi K3
LMArena AgentLMArena6.6%5.9%–7.3%Max2.0%1.1%–2.9%Kimi K3
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation60.4%Max—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis43.8intelligence-index:v4.3:max41.9intelligence-index:v4.3:reasoning-unspecifiedKimi K3
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis85.0%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Kimi K3 (max)":reasoning=true84.3%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="GLM-5.3-Flash":reasoning=trueKimi K3
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis46.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Kimi K3 (max)":reasoning=true39.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="GLM-5.3-Flash":reasoning=trueKimi K3
WildClawBench OpenClawWildClawBench54.5—Only 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.

Kimi K3 vs GLM 5.3 Flash: common questions

Is Kimi K3 better than GLM 5.3 Flash?

Kimi K3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 9 September 2026: #6 against #11. 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 Kimi K3 cheaper than GLM 5.3 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $0.25/1M against $15.00/1M. Input tokens are $3.00/1M for Kimi K3 and $0.075/1M for GLM 5.3 Flash. 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 $13.50 for Kimi K3 versus $0.28 for GLM 5.3 Flash. GLM 5.3 Flash costs 98.0% 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, Kimi K3 or GLM 5.3 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash has the larger context window: 1.3M tokens against 1M.

Which is better for coding, Kimi K3 or GLM 5.3 Flash?

Arena coding: Kimi K3 1542, GLM 5.3 Flash 1534 — Kimi K3 leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Kimi K3 85.0%, GLM 5.3 Flash 84.3% — Kimi K3 leads.

Are Kimi K3 and GLM 5.3 Flash open-weight models?

Kimi K3: Restricted license. GLM 5.3 Flash: Open weights. 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 Kimi K3 and GLM 5.3 Flash?

ModelCap currently lists 16 API providers for Kimi K3 and 26 for GLM 5.3 Flash, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Kimi K3 vs GLM 5.3 Flash comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 9 September 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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