Cheaper overall
GLM-5.3
52% lower blended rate
Higher benchmark scores
gpt-5.6-terra
leads on 6 of 11 figures
Bigger context window
gpt-5.6-terra
1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens
Cheaper cached input
gpt-5.6-terra
$0.20 vs $0.26, 23% less
Where each one wins
GLM-5.3
- Cheaper input tokens $1.40 vs $2.00, 30% less
- Cheaper output tokens $4.40 vs $12.00, 63% less
- Cheaper on all four workloads
- Higher overall intelligence (Intelligence Index) 44.8 vs 42.1
- Higher multi-step tool use (Agentic Index) 53.1 vs 43.2
- Higher scientific coding (SciCode) 59 vs 55
- Ahead on 2 more benchmark figures
gpt-5.6-terra
- Cheaper cached input $0.20 vs $0.26, 23% less
- Larger context window 1,050,000 tokens
- Higher coding ability (Coding Index) 76.7 vs 74.8
- Higher graduate-level science (GPQA Diamond) 92.5 vs 91.7
- Higher expert-exam performance (Humanity's Last Exam) 42.9 vs 42.3
- Ahead on 3 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 $1.65, a difference of $1,080.80 over a thousand runs.
| Workload | GLM-5.3 | gpt-5.6-terra | ×1,000 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat turn 1,000 in / 500 out | $0.0036 | $0.0080 | $3.60 / $8.00 | GLM-5.3 is 55% cheaper |
| RAG answer 10,000 in / 800 out | $0.0175 | $0.0296 | $17.52 / $29.60 | GLM-5.3 is 41% cheaper |
| Agent loop 32,000 in / 700 out × 20 calls | $0.2736 | $0.3680 | $273.60 / $368.00 | GLM-5.3 is 26% cheaper |
| Long document 400,000 in / 3,000 out | $0.5732 | $1.65 | $573.20 / $1,654.00 | GLM-5.3 is 65% 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-5.6-terra's input goes from $2.00 to $4.00. It does not change which of the two is cheaper.
| Context band | Price | GLM-5.3 | gpt-5.6-terra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $2.00 | GLM-5.3 is 30% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.20 | gpt-5.6-terra is 23% cheaper |
| Prompts up to 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $12.00 | GLM-5.3 is 63% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Input | $1.40 | $4.00 | GLM-5.3 is 65% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Cached input | $0.26 | $0.40 | GLM-5.3 is 35% cheaper |
| Prompts over 272,000 tokens | Output | $4.40 | $18.00 | GLM-5.3 is 76% cheaper |
Blended: GLM-5.3 $2.15, gpt-5.6-terra $4.50 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-5.6-terra by OpenAI. Standard tier, pay-as-you-go.
Other pricing tiers
Only gpt-5.6-terra 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-5.6-terra | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch only on gpt-5.6-terra | Not offered | $1.00 in / $6.00 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Flex only on gpt-5.6-terra | Not offered | $1.00 in / $6.00 out 50% off Standard | — |
| Priority only on gpt-5.6-terra | Not offered | $4.00 in / $24.00 out | — |
Benchmarks
They share 11 figures: GLM-5.3 leads on 5, gpt-5.6-terra on 6. The widest gap is 58.3 points, on answer reliability (Omniscience Non-Hallucination).
Overall intelligence
Intelligence Index — Overall intelligence across reasoning, knowledge & math evals
GLM-5.3 ahead by 2.7
Coding ability
Coding Index — Coding ability across software-engineering evals
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 1.9
Multi-step tool use
Agentic Index — Tool use & multi-step agent task performance
GLM-5.3 ahead by 9.9
Graduate-level science
GPQA Diamond — Graduate-level questions in biology, chemistry & physics
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 0.8
Expert-exam performance
Humanity's Last Exam — Expert-level questions across many academic domains
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 0.6
Long-context reasoning
AA-LCR — Long-context reasoning across large inputs
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 3.3
Scientific coding
SciCode — Research-level scientific coding tasks
GLM-5.3 ahead by 4
Physics research reasoning
CritPt — Unpublished physics research reasoning problems
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 10.9
Real-world task performance
GDPval — Economically valuable, real-world knowledge work
GLM-5.3 ahead by 10.7
Factual accuracy
Omniscience Accuracy — Breadth of factual knowledge across domains
gpt-5.6-terra ahead by 12.9
Answer reliability
Omniscience Non-Hallucination — How reliably the model avoids fabricated answers
GLM-5.3 ahead by 58.3
Each figure is that model's best published run, with the effort level named beside it — where these scores come from.
Specifications
gpt-5.6-terra holds 50,000 more input tokens in one request. gpt-5.6-terra also takes file and image. Only GLM-5.3 lists open weights.
| Specification | GLM-5.3 | gpt-5.6-terra |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | — | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Released | 14 Aug 2026 | 9 Jul 2026 |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Sold by | Perplexity, Z.ai | OpenAI, Perplexity |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Web search | Not listed | Not listed |
| Prompt caching | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| Computer use | Not listed | Not listed |
| Open weights | Yes | Not listed |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
FAQs
- Is GLM-5.3 cheaper than gpt-5.6-terra?
- Yes. A 1,000-token prompt with a 500-token reply costs $0.0036 on GLM-5.3 and $0.0080 on gpt-5.6-terra, and the same model is cheaper on every workload on this page.
- How much do GLM-5.3 and gpt-5.6-terra cost per 1M tokens?
- GLM-5.3 costs $1.40 for input and $4.40 for output. gpt-5.6-terra costs $2.00 and $12.00. Standard pay-as-you-go rates, as of 14 Aug 2026.
- Which is better, GLM-5.3 or gpt-5.6-terra?
- On published benchmarks, GLM-5.3. It leads on 6 of the 11 figures both models report, including overall intelligence (Intelligence Index), where it scores 44.8 against 42.1.
- Does GLM-5.3 or gpt-5.6-terra offer batch pricing?
- gpt-5.6-terra only. Its batch input costs $1.00, 50% off its standard rate, and GLM-5.3 lists no batch tier at all.
- Does GLM-5.3 or gpt-5.6-terra have a bigger context window?
- gpt-5.6-terra, at 1,050,000 tokens against 1,000,000. That is 50,000 more input tokens in a single request.