AI model comparison
GLM 5 vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
Z.ai
GLM 5
GLM-5 is Z.ai’s flagship open-source foundation model engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agent workflows.
- Input / 1M
- $0.60
- Output / 1M
- $1.92
- Context
- 205K
Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is a high speed, high value thinking model designed for agentic workflows, multi turn chat, and coding assistance.
- Input / 1M
- $0.50
- Output / 1M
- $3
- Context
- 1.05M
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
GLM 5
1.2x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
GLM 5
27.9 vs 26.3 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Gemini 3 Flash Preview
1.05M vs 205K tokens
Newer release
GLM 5
Released February 11, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Coding index
Agentic index
Pricing
GLM 5 vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.60 | $0.50 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $1.92 | $3 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.12 | $0.05 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | $0.08 |
| Web searchPer request | Not available | $0.014 |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 205K tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 128K tokens | 66K tokens |
| Input types | Text | Audio, File, Image, Text, Video |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | High, Medium, Low, Minimal |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Medium |
| Release date | February 11, 2026 | December 17, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Our take
GLM 5 is 1.2x cheaper for a typical chat. GLM 5 scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (27.9 vs 26.3). Gemini 3 Flash Preview has the larger context window (1.05M vs 205K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is GLM 5 or Gemini 3 Flash Preview cheaper?
GLM 5 is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). GLM 5 costs $0.60 per 1M input tokens and $1.92 per 1M output tokens, while Gemini 3 Flash Preview costs $0.50 per 1M input tokens and $3 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, GLM 5 or Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 205K for GLM 5.
Is GLM 5 smarter than Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, GLM 5 scores 27.9 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview scores 26.3, putting GLM 5 ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use GLM 5 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see GLM 5 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to GLM 5 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.