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ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3 Flash

Grok 4.6 (xAI) 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, GLM 5.3 Flash holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#11 vs #16); GLM 5.3 Flash is 24× cheaper per output token ($0.25/1M vs $6.00/1M); GLM 5.3 Flash offers the longer context window (1.3M vs 500K tokens); and GLM 5.3 Flash ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Grok 4.6 if…

  • LMArena Agent is your yardstick — 3.2% against 2.0%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 44.4 against 41.9.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 88.4% against 84.3%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 42.9% against 39.9%.

Choose GLM 5.3 Flash if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #11 against #16 (78.7 vs 75.8 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.25/1M output tokens against $6.00/1M, about 24× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.075/1M against $2.00/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1.3M tokens against 500K.
  • you want to self-host: GLM 5.3 Flash ships open weights while Grok 4.6 is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 26 listed API providers against 2.
  • you want the more recently listed model — GLM 5.3 Flash was listed 26 August 2026, Grok 4.6 12 August 2026.

Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3 Flash: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3 Flash
FieldGrok 4.6xAIGLM 5.3 FlashZ.ai
ModelCap Index position#16#11
Index score75.878.7
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$2.00$0.075
Output price / 1M tokens$6.00$0.25
Context window500K tokens1.3M tokens
Max output tokens450K131K
API providers listed226
Weight accessAPI onlyOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, FileText, Image, Video
First listed12 August 202626 August 2026
PublisherxAIZ.ai

Evidence: 5 public benchmark observations across 5 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: Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3 Flash

Public benchmark boards where Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3 Flash has a published result
BoardGrok 4.6GLM 5.3 FlashLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—15341517–1551Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena3.2%2.1%–4.4%X-High2.0%1.1%–2.9%Grok 4.6
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation67.1%X-High—Only one result
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation2.1%X-High—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis44.4intelligence-index:v4.3:high41.9intelligence-index:v4.3:reasoning-unspecifiedGrok 4.6
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis88.4%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Grok 4.6 (high)":reasoning=true84.3%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="GLM-5.3-Flash":reasoning=trueGrok 4.6
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis42.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Grok 4.6 (high)":reasoning=true39.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="GLM-5.3-Flash":reasoning=trueGrok 4.6
Terminal-Bench 4.0Terminal-Bench (Laude Institute)20.3%17.2%–23.4%Grok Build · High—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.

Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3 Flash: common questions

Is Grok 4.6 better than GLM 5.3 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 9 September 2026: #11 against #16. 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 Grok 4.6 cheaper than GLM 5.3 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $0.25/1M against $6.00/1M. Input tokens are $2.00/1M for Grok 4.6 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 $7.00 for Grok 4.6 versus $0.28 for GLM 5.3 Flash. GLM 5.3 Flash costs 96.1% 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, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash has the larger context window: 1.3M tokens against 500K.

Which is better for coding, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3 Flash?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Grok 4.6 88.4%, GLM 5.3 Flash 84.3% — Grok 4.6 leads.

Are Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3 Flash open-weight models?

Grok 4.6: API only. 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 Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3 Flash?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Grok 4.6 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 Grok 4.6 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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