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Head-to-head comparison

Inkling vs GLM 5.3

Inkling (Thinking Machines) 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 #24); Inkling is cheaper per output token ($4.05/1M vs $4.40/1M); and Inkling ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Inkling if…

  • API cost matters — $4.05/1M output tokens against $4.40/1M.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.95/1M against $1.40/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Inkling ships open weights while GLM 5.3 is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 1.

Choose GLM 5.3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #7 against #24 (78.4 vs 64.4 points).
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.5 against 42.3.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 was listed 18 August 2026, Inkling 17 July 2026.

Inkling vs GLM 5.3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Inkling and GLM 5.3
FieldInklingThinking MachinesGLM 5.3Z.ai
ModelCap Index position#24#7
Index score64.478.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.95$1.40
Output price / 1M tokens$4.05$4.40
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens262K131K
API providers listed31
Weight accessOpen weightsAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, AudioText
First listed17 July 202618 August 2026
PublisherThinking MachinesZ.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: Inkling vs GLM 5.3

Public benchmark boards where Inkling or GLM 5.3 has a published result
BoardInklingGLM 5.3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14941485–1504—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena-6.6%-7.5%–-5.7%—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation36.5%—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis42.3intelligence-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.

Inkling vs GLM 5.3: common questions

Is Inkling better than GLM 5.3?

GLM 5.3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 19 August 2026: #7 against #24. 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 Inkling cheaper than GLM 5.3?

Inkling is cheaper on output tokens: $4.05/1M against $4.40/1M. Input tokens are $0.95/1M for Inkling 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, Inkling or GLM 5.3?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

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

Inkling: 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 Inkling and GLM 5.3?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for Inkling 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 Inkling 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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