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Head-to-head comparison

Qwen3.8 Max vs GLM 5.3

Qwen3.8 Max (Qwen) 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, Qwen3.8 Max holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#6 vs #7); and GLM 5.3 is 1.4× cheaper per output token ($4.40/1M vs $6.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #6 against #7 (80.3 vs 78.4 points).

Choose GLM 5.3 if…

  • API cost matters — $4.40/1M output tokens against $6.00/1M, about 1.4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $1.40/1M against $2.00/1M.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.5 against 58.1.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 was listed 18 August 2026, Qwen3.8 Max 3 August 2026.

Qwen3.8 Max vs GLM 5.3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Qwen3.8 Max and GLM 5.3
FieldQwen3.8 MaxQwenGLM 5.3Z.ai
ModelCap Index position#6#7
Index score80.378.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$2.00$1.40
Output price / 1M tokens$6.00$4.40
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens131K131K
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText
First listed3 August 202618 August 2026
PublisherQwenZ.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: Qwen3.8 Max vs GLM 5.3

Public benchmark boards where Qwen3.8 Max or GLM 5.3 has a published result
BoardQwen3.8 MaxGLM 5.3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15291516–1542—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena7.6%6.0%–9.2%—Only one result
WildClawBench OpenClawWildClawBench56.2—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis58.1intelligence-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.

Qwen3.8 Max vs GLM 5.3: common questions

Is Qwen3.8 Max better than GLM 5.3?

Qwen3.8 Max ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 19 August 2026: #6 against #7. 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 Qwen3.8 Max cheaper than GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 is cheaper on output tokens: $4.40/1M against $6.00/1M. Input tokens are $2.00/1M for Qwen3.8 Max 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, Qwen3.8 Max or GLM 5.3?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Qwen3.8 Max 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 Qwen3.8 Max and GLM 5.3 open-weight models?

Qwen3.8 Max: API only. 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 Qwen3.8 Max and GLM 5.3?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Qwen3.8 Max 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 Qwen3.8 Max 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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