Cheaper overall
GLM 5.3
62% lower blended rate
Higher benchmark scores
GLM 5.3
leads on 12 of 17 figures
Bigger context window
GPT-5.4
1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens
Cheaper cached input
GPT-5.4
$0.25 vs $0.26, 4% less
Where each one wins
GLM 5.3
- Cheaper input tokens $1.40 vs $2.50, 44% less
- Cheaper output tokens $4.40 vs $15.00, 71% less
- Cheaper on all four workloads
- Higher coding ability (Coding Index) 74.8 vs 71.1
- Higher real-world task performance (GDPval) 57.2 vs 36.6
- Higher answer reliability (Omniscience Non-Hallucination) 70.4 vs 17.4
- Ahead on 9 more benchmark figures
GPT-5.4
- Cheaper cached input $0.25 vs $0.26, 4% less
- Larger context window 1,050,000 tokens
- Higher graduate-level science (GPQA Diamond) 92 vs 91.7
- Higher expert-exam performance (Humanity's Last Exam) 43.7 vs 42.3
- Higher long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) 82 vs 79.7
- Ahead on 2 more benchmark figures
- Offers Batch, Flex and Priority pricing not listed for GLM 5.3
What four workloads cost
One run, and the same run a thousand times.
The gap opens on long prompts: GLM 5.3 costs $0.5732 against $2.07, a difference of $1,494.30 over a thousand runs.
| Workload | GLM 5.3 | GPT-5.4 | ×1,000 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat turn 1,000 in / 500 out | $0.0036 | $0.0100 | $3.60 / $10.00 | GLM 5.3 is 64% cheaper |
| RAG answer 10,000 in / 800 out | $0.0175 | $0.0370 | $17.52 / $37.00 | GLM 5.3 is 53% cheaper |
| Agent loop 32,000 in / 700 out × 20 calls | $0.2736 | $0.4600 | $273.60 / $460.00 | GLM 5.3 is 41% cheaper |
| Long document 400,000 in / 3,000 out | $0.5732 | $2.07 | $573.20 / $2,067.50 | GLM 5.3 is 72% cheaper |
Price per 1M tokens
Above 272,000 input tokens the rates change, and the new rate applies to the whole request, not just the tokens past that point: GPT-5.4's input goes from $2.50 to $5.00. It does not change which of the two is cheaper.
| Context band | Price | GLM 5.3 | GPT-5.4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $2.50 | GLM 5.3 is 44% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.25 | GPT-5.4 is 4% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $15.00 | GLM 5.3 is 71% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $5.00 | GLM 5.3 is 72% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.50 | GLM 5.3 is 48% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $22.50 | GLM 5.3 is 80% cheaper |
Blended: GLM 5.3 $2.15, GPT-5.4 $5.625 per 1M — one rate at 3:1 input to output, for comparing two models at a glance.
GLM 5.3 priced by Z.ai, GPT-5.4 by OpenAI. Standard tier, pay-as-you-go.
Other pricing tiers
Only GPT-5.4 lists Batch, Flex and Priority, at up to 50% off its own standard rate; GLM 5.3 offers none of them.
Every tier either model sells is here, so this is the whole price sheet. A saving is measured against that model's own standard rate — how we read tiers.
| Tier | GLM 5.3 | GPT-5.4 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $1.25 in / $7.50 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Flex only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $1.25 in / $7.50 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Priority only on GPT-5.4 | Not offered | $5.00 in / $30.00 out | — |
Benchmarks
They share 17 figures: GLM 5.3 leads on 12, GPT-5.4 on 5. The widest gap is 255 points, on 3d Elo.
Coding ability
Coding Index — Coding ability across software-engineering evals
GLM 5.3 ahead by 3.7
Graduate-level science
GPQA Diamond — Graduate-level questions in biology, chemistry & physics
GPT-5.4 ahead by 0.3
Expert-exam performance
Humanity's Last Exam — Expert-level questions across many academic domains
GPT-5.4 ahead by 1.4
Long-context reasoning
AA-LCR — Long-context reasoning across large inputs
GPT-5.4 ahead by 2.3
Physics research reasoning
CritPt — Unpublished physics research reasoning problems
GPT-5.4 ahead by 4.3
Real-world task performance
GDPval — Economically valuable, real-world knowledge work
GLM 5.3 ahead by 20.6
Factual accuracy
Omniscience Accuracy — Breadth of factual knowledge across domains
GPT-5.4 ahead by 16.9
Answer reliability
Omniscience Non-Hallucination — How reliably the model avoids fabricated answers
GLM 5.3 ahead by 53
Mobileapps Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the mobileapps category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 106
3d Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the 3d category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 255
Asciiart Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the asciiart category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 6
Codecategories Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the codecategories category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 100
Dataviz Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the dataviz category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 27
Gamedev Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the gamedev category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 102
Svg Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the svg category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 104
Uicomponent Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the uicomponent category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 83
Website Elo
Design Arena head-to-head rating in the website category
GLM 5.3 ahead by 81
Each figure is that model's best published run, with the effort level named beside it — where these scores come from.
Specifications
GPT-5.4 holds 50,000 more input tokens in one request. GPT-5.4 also takes file and image.
| Specification | GLM 5.3 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Takes in | Text | Text, image, file |
| Puts out | Text | Text |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | 31 Aug 2025 |
| Released | 14 Aug 2026 | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Sold by | Perplexity, Z.ai | OpenAI, Perplexity |
FAQs
- Is GLM 5.3 cheaper than GPT-5.4?
- Yes. A 1,000-token prompt with a 500-token reply costs $0.0036 on GLM 5.3 and $0.0100 on GPT-5.4, and the same model is cheaper on every workload on this page.
- How much do GLM 5.3 and GPT-5.4 cost per 1M tokens?
- GLM 5.3 costs $1.40 for input and $4.40 for output. GPT-5.4 costs $2.50 and $15.00. Standard pay-as-you-go rates, as of 14 Aug 2026.
- Which is better, GLM 5.3 or GPT-5.4?
- On published benchmarks, GLM 5.3. It leads on 12 of the 17 figures both models report, including coding ability (Coding Index), where it scores 74.8 against 71.1.
- Does GLM 5.3 or GPT-5.4 offer batch pricing?
- GPT-5.4 only. Its batch input costs $1.25, 50% off its standard rate, and GLM 5.3 lists no batch tier at all.
- Does GLM 5.3 or GPT-5.4 have a bigger context window?
- GPT-5.4, at 1,050,000 tokens against 1,000,000. That is 50,000 more input tokens in a single request.