Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3
At a Glance
| Compare | Grok 4.6xAI | GLM 5.3Z.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | #21 of 4664.1 score · 3/3 sources · complete | #16 of 4670.4 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 46.9–80.3 |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | #22 of 44$0.097 per LiveBench case | #34 of 44$0.248 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | #16 of 3856.7 score · 3/3 sources · complete | #26 of 3850.0 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 38.2–54.9 |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $2.00Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 | $1.20Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $6.00Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 | $4.00Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 500K | 1,000K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok 4.6 | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Agent Arenaagent-2026-09-15-d25aabda0010 · outcome_score · statistical tie | 2.0199% of row best · score · Grok 4.6 (xHigh); 95% CI [0.96176804, 3.05247193]; sessions 22548; observations 2390552; rank 21 | 3.05100% of row best · score · GLM 5.3 (Max); 95% CI [2.43618871, 3.66634458]; sessions 73287; observations 6652488; rank 18 |
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,429.8697% of row best · rating · grok-4.6-high; 95% CI [1424.03688750, 1435.69279464]; votes 15521; rank 87 | 1,475.08100% of row best · rating · glm-5.3-max; 95% CI [1468.67816284, 1481.48915679]; votes 10960; rank 20 |
| LiveBench2026-06-25 · overall · leader | 82.17100% of row best · percent · grok-4.6 · 16,154 output tokens / case | 79.1596% of row best · percent · glm-5.3 · 62,090 output tokens / case |
| ToneBench2026-09-11-10-task-4ef099199c9c · overall_score · unverified | 86.6198% of row best · points · Grok 4.6 · 15,575 output tokens / case | 88.34100% of row best · points · GLM-5.3 · 22,204 output tokens / case |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above · 1 tie | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Quality Versus Estimated Output Cost
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Grok 4.6 | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | xAI | Z.ai |
| Family | Grok 4 | Glm 5 3 |
| Model | Grok 4.6 | GLM-5.3 |
| Version | Grok 4.6 | GLM-5.3 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | Unknown | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2026-02-01 | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 500K | 1,000K |
| Total parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | Unknown | Unknown |
| Open weights | No | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Provider access | Xai (Standard) | Deepinfra (Standard), Fireworks Ai (Standard), Together Ai (Standard), Z.ai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, tools | agents, chat, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools |
Grok 4.6 Capabilities
GLM 5.3 Capabilities
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Grok 4.6 vs GLM 5.3 FAQs
Is Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
Grok 4.6 is $2.00 and GLM 5.3 is $1.20 per million tokens, so GLM 5.3 is cheaper on this metric. Grok 4.6 is $6.00 and GLM 5.3 is $4.00 per million tokens, so GLM 5.3 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
GLM 5.3 has the larger sourced context window. Grok 4.6 supports 500K and GLM 5.3 supports 1,000K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: The verified common benchmarks do not produce a majority winner.
Can Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3 be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: unsupported. Grok 4.6 is not marked open weight; GLM 5.3 is not marked open weight.
Can Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3 understand images?+
Grok 4.6 is documented with image input; GLM 5.3 is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Grok 4.6 is — and GLM 5.3 is 131K.
Do Grok 4.6 and GLM 5.3 support reasoning and tool use?+
Grok 4.6: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. GLM 5.3: reasoning and tool calling. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
Grok 4.6 has 1 sourced provider route; GLM 5.3 has 4, so GLM 5.3 has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, Grok 4.6 or GLM 5.3?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.