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  5. GLM 4.5 AirvsGLM 5.3
Updated Aug 2026

GLM 4.5 AirvsGLM 5.3

GLM 4.5 Air is cheaper than GLM 5.3 at $0.2/M vs $0.6538/M input tokens.

GLM 4.5 Air and GLM 5.3 compared across 13 shared prompts
SpecGLM 4.5 AirGLM 5.3
Input price$0.2/M tokens$0.6538/M tokens
Output price$1.1/M tokens$2.0548/M tokens
Context window128K tokens1.3M tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedJul 2025Aug 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 13 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Debug This Architecture

Here's the architecture for a real-time collaborative document editor (like Google Docs): **System Overview:** - Frontend: React SPA with…

GLM 4.5 Air839 words
Failure Modes, Race Conditions, and Scaling Bottlenecks Analysis WebSocket Connection Management Issue: WebSocket connections are server-specific, causing connection loss during server failover or scaling events. Solution: Implement a connection pool with automatic reconnection logic in the client.
Read the full answer
GLM 5.31,311 words
Architecture Review: Real-Time Collaborative Editor This design has serious issues across correctness, performance, and security. Let me break them down by severity. 🔴 Critical: Correctness / Data Loss Client-clock-based Last-Write-Wins (LWW) Problem: Client clocks are unreliable (skew, manual changes, timezone bugs).
Read the full answer

Ethical Dilemma with Stakeholders

You're the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Your best-selling drug ($2B annual revenue, used by 4 million patients for chronic pain) has…

GLM 4.5 Air1,260 words
Here is a specific, hour-by-hour action plan designed to navigate this crisis ethically and strategically, prioritizing patient safety while mitigating long-term damage: Core Principles Guiding Decisions: Patient Safety Paramount: Ethical obligation to inform patients and physicians immediately outweighs short-term…
Read the full answer
GLM 5.31,143 words
The Core Decision (Made Before Hour 1) The side effect is real, serious, and known to me now. Patients are currently taking this drug without informed consent about a ~1-in-8,000 liver failure risk. Everything else — stock price, board pressure, legal exposure — is secondary.
Read the full answer

Advanced Longevity Plan (Biohacker)

Develop a comprehensive, cutting-edge 3-month longevity plan for a biohacker aiming to optimize longevity, physical and cognitive…

GLM 4.5 Air1,736 words
Of course. Here is a comprehensive, 3-month, cutting-edge longevity and biohacking plan designed for a dedicated individual. This plan is structured in three distinct phases, each building upon the last to progressively optimize the body's systems for resilience, performance, and longevity.
Read the full answer
GLM 5.3851 words
3-Month Advanced Longevity & Performance Optimization Protocol Note: This is an educational framework. Get baseline bloodwork and consult a physician before starting supplements/fasting, especially with any medical conditions or medications.
Read the full answer

Explain Like I'm a Specific Expert

Explain how a large language model (like GPT or Claude) learns and generates text to each of these three audiences: 1. **An experienced…

GLM 4.5 Air725 words
How Large Language Models Learn and Generate Text For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of a large language model like GPT as a sophisticated pattern-matching system that's been trained on virtually the entire internet.
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GLM 5.31,164 words
The Software Engineer You've probably written autocomplete logic before, so you're right to be skeptical of the naive version: a Markov chain that looks up "what usually comes after 'the'" is trivially dumb.
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Beginner's Longevity Plan

Outline a simple, actionable 1-month plan for someone starting their journey towards better health and longevity. Focus on 3 key areas…

GLM 4.5 Air1,139 words
Of course! Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan for a beginner focusing on three foundational pillars of health. Your 1-Month Blueprint for Better Health & Longevity Welcome! The goal for this month is not perfection but progress.
Read the full answer
GLM 5.3415 words
1-Month Beginner Health & Longevity Plan Week 1: Foundation & Awareness Goal: Establish baselines, not perfection 🥗 Diet Track what you currently eat for 3 days (no judging—just observe) Drink a glass of water upon waking each morning Add ONE vegetable to one meal daily 🏃 Exercise Walk 15 minutes daily (any pace, any…
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Simple 7-Ingredient Recipe

Create a simple recipe for a delicious dish (sweet or savory) using only 7 common pantry ingredients. Include a creative name for the dish…

GLM 4.5 Air271 words
Pantry Power Pesto Pasta With just 7 shelf-stable ingredients, this creamy, zesty pasta dish comes together in minutes. It’s rich in flavor, budget-friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights!
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GLM 5.3210 words
Golden Pantry Fried Rice Total Time: 20 minutes (5 min prep, 15 min cook) Ingredients (7 pantry staples) Cooked white rice (day-old is best) Eggs Soy sauce Garlic (minced or garlic powder) Frozen peas and carrots Canned corn Vegetable oil Instructions Prep (5 min): Break up cold rice with a fork. Drain the corn.
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Our Verdict
GLM 5.3
GLM 5.3
GLM 4.5 Air
GLM 4.5 AirRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GLM 5.3 has the edge: newer, bigger context window.

Too close to call
API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

GLM 4.5 Air
Input
$0.20
3.3× cheaper
Output
$1.10
1.9× cheaper
GLM 5.3
Input
$0.65
Output
$2.05

GLM 4.5 Air is cheaper on both: 3.3× input, 1.9× output.

Where to run it

33 hosts, cheapest first

GLM 4.5 Air3 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
NNovitabf16$0.13 in·$0.85 out·131k·99.8% upSSiliconFlowfp8$0.14 in·$0.86 out·131k·100% upZ.aifp8$0.20 in·$1.10 out·131k·99% up
GLM 5.330 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
DDeepInfrafp4$0.56 in·$2.50 out·1M·97.1% upMMorph$0.71 in·$2.24 out·1M·99.7% upRRekafp8$0.76 in·$2.57 out·262k·99.4% upSSail Researchfp8$0.77 in·$4.00 out·1M·99.8% upNNovitafp8$0.78 in·$2.46 out·1M·99.9% upIio.netfp8$0.82 in·$2.77 out·262k·99.8% up
24 more hostsFewer hosts
PPhala$0.84 in·$2.64 out·1M·99.4% upIInferenceNetfp4$0.90 in·$3.00 out·1M·98.2% upDDigitalOcean$0.91 in·$2.86 out·1M·99.7% upGGMI Cloudfp8$0.98 in·$3.08 out·1M·99.5% upIInceptronfp4$1.03 in·$3.73 out·1M·99.4% upMMakorafp4$1.05 in·$4.20 out·980k·97.1% upSSiliconFlowfp8$1.12 in·$3.52 out·1M·99.8% upDDecartfp4$1.19 in·$3.74 out·1M·99.2% upFFriendli$1.26 in·$3.96 out·1M·100% upAAkashMLfp8$1.30 in·$4.40 out·1M·100% upAAtlasCloudfp8$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.4% upBaidu Qianfanfp8$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.8% upBBasetenfp4$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.8% upCloudflare Workers AI$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1.3M·98.9% upCCrusoefp4$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·98.9% upFFireworks$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.5% upMistralnvfp4$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.4% upModal$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.1% upPParasailfp8$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.2% upTTogether$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·98.1% upVVenice$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·98.5% upWWafer$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.9% upZ.aifp8$1.40 in·$4.40 out·1M·99.9% upAlibaba Clouddegraded$1.19 in·$3.74 out·1M·99.5% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 23 Sep 2026.

Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

Both are developed by Zhipu AI but target different use cases. GLM 4.5 Air has a 128K token context window vs GLM 5.3's 1.3M. You can compare their actual outputs across 13 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. GLM 4.5 Air and GLM 5.3 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 13 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

GLM 4.5 Air costs $0.2/M input tokens and GLM 5.3 costs $0.6538/M input tokens. GLM 4.5 Air is $0.45/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GLM 4.5 Air and GLM 5.3 across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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