Model comparison
MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs GLM-5.3
- Input
- $0.15
- Output
- $0.60
- Context
- 1M
- Released
- 2026-10-19
- Input
- $1.40
- Output
- $4.40
- Context
- 1M
- Released
- 2026-08-14
MiniMax M3.1 Flash scores higher on 2 of the 2 benchmarks both models report; MiniMax M3.1 Flash is cheaper on input tokens ($0.2 vs $1.4 per 1M, 9.3×); GLM-5.3 ships open weights while MiniMax M3.1 Flash is API-only.
Specs and pricing side by side
| Spec | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | MiniMax | Z.ai (Zhipu / GLM) |
| Released | 2026-10-19 | 2026-08-14 |
| Context window | 1M | 1Msame |
| Max output | not published | 128K |
| Input price | $0.15 | $1.40 |
| Output price | $0.60 | $4.40 |
| Parameters | not published | Same base model as GLM-5.2 (744B total · 40B active) |
| License | Proprietary | GLM-5.3 License — a permissive, MIT-style grant to use, modify, distribute and fine-tune the weights, with one condition: a licensee running a Model-as-a-Service business whose aggregate revenue exceeds US$10 billion over any consecutive 12 months must pass a Z.ai security review before any commercial use |
| Weights | API only | Open weights |
| Modalities | Text, Vision | Text |
Not published by either maker: knowledge cutoff.
Benchmarks both models report
| Benchmark | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | GLM-5.3 |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSWE v1.1 | 73.7% | 66.9% |
| Agents' Last Exam | 29.6% | 28.5% |
Scores are as published by each maker or its cited source; harness, reasoning effort and date can differ between rows, so treat small gaps as ties. Sources are listed on each model page.
Which one should you pick?
Pick MiniMax M3.1 Flash if…
- You care about DeepSWE v1.1, Agents' Last Exam (it scores higher on 2 shared benchmarks).
- Cost matters: input tokens cost 9.3× less ($0.2 vs $1.4 per 1M).
- You need Vision input, which GLM-5.3 lacks.
- Your use case is: high-volume coding agents where cost per task matters more than a top leaderboard score.
Pick GLM-5.3 if…
- You want to self-host or fine-tune (open weights, GLM-5.3 License — a permissive, MIT-style grant to use, modify, distribute and fine-tune the weights, with one condition: a licensee running a Model-as-a-Service business whose aggregate revenue exceeds US$10 billion over any consecutive 12 months must pass a Z.ai security review before any commercial use).
- Your use case is: long-horizon coding agents that must stay productive across hundreds of files and interdependent systems.
FAQ
Which is better, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or GLM-5.3?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash scores higher on 2 of the 2 benchmarks both models report; MiniMax M3.1 Flash is cheaper on input tokens ($0.2 vs $1.4 per 1M, 9.3×); GLM-5.3 ships open weights while MiniMax M3.1 Flash is API-only. The better pick depends on whether you value benchmark scores, price per token, context length or openness for your workload.
How much cheaper is MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash: $0.15 input, $0.60 output. GLM-5.3: $1.40 input, $4.40 output (list API prices as published by each maker).
What are the context windows of MiniMax M3.1 Flash and GLM-5.3?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash offers 1M; GLM-5.3 offers 1M with up to 128K output.
Is MiniMax M3.1 Flash newer than GLM-5.3?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash was released 2026-10-19; GLM-5.3 was released 2026-08-14.