# GLM-5.3 Hits the API at $1.40/$4.40 per Million Tokens

GLM-5.3 is now callable on Z.ai's API at $1.40/$4.40 per million tokens, and scores 60 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, tying Kimi K3's score (the top open-weights result, which GLM-5.3 joins once its weights ship).

By Neomanex. Updated 2026-10-07.

GLM-5.3 is now callable on [Z.ai's API](/models/glm-5-3) at **$1.40 per million input and $4.40 per million output tokens** — unchanged from GLM-5.2 — and independent scoring puts it at **60 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index**, tying [Kimi K3](/models/kimi-k3)'s score of 60 — the mark GLM-5.3 will match in the open-weights class once its weights ship. The pricing gap we flagged at launch is closed.

## What happened

Z.ai opened GLM-5.3 to API traffic at the same rate as its predecessor, with cached input at $0.26 per million tokens (VentureBeat, 2026).

| Rate | Price per 1M tokens |
|------|---------------------|
| Input | $1.40 |
| Output | $4.40 |
| Cached input | $0.26 |

Artificial Analysis evaluated it at **60 on the Intelligence Index** — level with Kimi K3 and three points behind Claude Opus 5, the closed-frontier leader (Unite.AI, 2026).

The catch is token efficiency. AA measured GLM-5.3 at roughly **18,700 output tokens per task**, about 20% higher than GLM-5.2 — which lifts its real cost per Intelligence Index task to about **$0.68 versus GLM-5.2's $0.44**, still 19% cheaper than Kimi K3 per task (Artificial Analysis, 2026).

## Why it matters

GLM-5.3 closes its last launch gap: published per-token pricing. Combined with a top-tier intelligence score that lands in the open-weights class once the weights ship, that puts it squarely on the Pareto frontier for teams choosing between Chinese open-weight models and the closed frontier.

The open weights are still held roughly two weeks for safety hardening — so our stance on [GLM-5.3](/models/glm-5-3) stays conditional: reach for it on defensive-security and agentic workloads now, but hold off standardizing until the weights drop.

## What changes for you

If you benchmarked GLM-5.3 and held off for pricing, the number is now live. Model two things into your decision:

- **Token efficiency, not just per-token rates.** A ~20% verbosity bump means flat per-token rates are not flat per-task costs — $0.68 per index task versus $0.44 for GLM-5.2.
- **Wait for the weights.** Self-hosting is still roughly two weeks out; don't lock your architecture until they ship.

## FAQ

**Did GLM-5.3's price change from GLM-5.2?** No — it ships at the same $1.40/$4.40 per million tokens with $0.26 cached input. The news is that the rate is now published, not that it moved.

**Is GLM-5.3 cheaper than Kimi K3?** Per task, yes — about 19% cheaper, even though both score 60 on the Intelligence Index. The margin narrows because GLM-5.3 is more verbose per task.

**Are the open weights available?** Not yet. Z.ai is holding them roughly two weeks for safety hardening.

Canonical: https://neomanex.com/news/glm-5-3-api-pricing