Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GLM 5.3 Flash
A side-by-side comparison of Gemini 3.8 Flash from Google and GLM 5.3 Flash from Z.ai, using published pricing, context windows, supported inputs, and release dates.
- Gemini 3.8 Flash input
- $0.825
- GLM 5.3 Flash input
- $0.0285
Key differences
GLM 5.3 Flash is 97% cheaper on input tokens ($0.0285 vs $0.825 per 1M).
Gemini 3.8 Flash is the newer release (Sep 2, 2026, vs Aug 26, 2026).
Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GLM 5.3 Flash specs
| Spec | Gemini 3.8 Flash | GLM 5.3 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Z.ai | |
| Released | Sep 2, 2026 | Aug 26, 2026 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Input price / 1M tokens | $0.825 | $0.0285 |
| Output price / 1M tokens | $4.13 | $0.0923 |
| 10K in + 1K out request | $0.012 | $0.00038 |
| Accepts | audio, file, image, text, video | image, text, video |
| Produces | text | text |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Popularity | 39/100 | 57/100 |
Highlighted values are better on that spec: lower price, larger context window, newer release, or higher popularity. Prices in USD per 1M tokens as listed on OpenRouter.
Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GLM 5.3 Flash questions
Is Gemini 3.8 Flash or GLM 5.3 Flash cheaper?
GLM 5.3 Flash has the lower listed input price ($0.0285 per million tokens). For a request with 10,000 input and 1,000 output tokens, Gemini 3.8 Flash costs about $0.012 and GLM 5.3 Flash about $0.00038.
Which model should I choose?
Pick the cheaper model for high-volume, simpler tasks, and test both on a sample of your real prompts before committing. Price and context size do not measure output quality on your specific workload.