CtrlAltDebrief

GLM 5.3 vs Grok 4.5

API pricing, context window and capabilities for GLM 5.3 and Grok 4.5, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.

Verdict

computed from the published numbers

GLM 5.3 wins on price, on Terminal-Bench, on intelligence and on context window.

Price
GLM 5.3
Terminal-Bench
GLM 5.3
Intelligence
GLM 5.3
Context window
GLM 5.3

Key takeaways

who wins on what, from the published numbers

GLM 5.3 wins

  • Cheaper input ($0.079 vs $2.00 /1M)
  • Cheaper output ($3.08 vs $6.00 /1M)
  • Larger context window (1M vs 500K)
  • Higher max output (1M vs 500K)
  • More serving providers (16 vs 3)

Grok 4.5 wins

  • Has web search
Cheaper overall
GLM 5.3
$0.079 + $3.08 /1M
Larger context
GLM 5.3
1M
More providers
GLM 5.3
16 providers

Pricing & specs

cheapest listed route · per 1M tokens
On-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower. An OpenRouter routed quote is the price of whichever upstream provider OpenRouter prefers today, so it moves day to day.
GLM 5.3Grok 4.5
Input $/1M$0.079OpenRouter routed quote best$2.00via xAI
Output $/1M$3.08via Sail best$6.00via xAI
Context window1M best500K
Max output1M best500K
Serving providers16 best3
DateReleased Aug 14, 2026 Released Jul 7, 2026

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores, side by side
GLM 5.3Grok 4.5
Intelligence44.8 best38.8
Terminal-Bench84% best82%
GPQA Diamond92% 93% best
Output speed62 t/s 63 t/s best
Latency (TTFT)3.50s best13.52s

Cost calculator

choose a serving route for each side
Input tokens / month
Output tokens / month
GLM 5.3
via OpenRouter
$5.20
Grok 4.5
via OpenRouter
$16

Capabilities

feature support, side by side
FeatureGLM 5.3Grok 4.5
Vision✓✓
Tool use✓✓
Reasoning✓✓
Audio——
Prompt caching✓✓
Structured output✓✓
Web search—✓

Related comparisons

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, GLM 5.3 or Grok 4.5?
GLM 5.3 is cheaper for input ($0.079 vs $2.00 per 1M tokens) as an OpenRouter routed quote. GLM 5.3 is cheaper for output ($3.08 vs $6.00 per 1M tokens) from Sail.
What is the context window difference between GLM 5.3 and Grok 4.5?
GLM 5.3 has a 1M-token context window and Grok 4.5 has 500K tokens, so GLM 5.3 can take a larger prompt.
How do GLM 5.3 and Grok 4.5 compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, GLM 5.3 leads on Terminal-Bench, and GLM 5.3 leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026

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