Gemini 3.8 Flash vs GLM 5.3: cost per task
Gemini 3.8 Flash is cheaper on 8 of 14 tasks and about 1.3x cheaper on average (geometric mean). Gemini 3.8 Flash has the higher LMArena Text score (1496 vs 1478).
| Task | Gemini 3.8 Flash | GLM 5.3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer a chat question | 0.68¢ | 0.86¢ | 1.3x |
| Reply to a customer email | 0.25¢ | 0.13¢ | 2.0x |
| Write a 1,500-word blog post | 1.5¢ | 3.3¢ | 2.2x |
| Write 10 product descriptions | 1.2¢ | 3.4¢ | 2.7x |
| Translate 1,000 words | 1.9¢ | 4.9¢ | 2.5x |
| Proofread one page (500 words) | 0.51¢ | 0.39¢ | 1.3x |
| Summarize a 20-page PDF | 1.6¢ | 0.97¢ | 1.6x |
| Extract data from an invoice | 0.65¢ | 0.50¢ | 1.3x |
| Analyze a 200-row spreadsheet | 3.9¢ | 7.7¢ | 2.0x |
| Answer from 5 retrieved documents (RAG) | 1.2¢ | 0.98¢ | 1.2x |
| Classify 100 support tickets | 2.9¢ | 3.8¢ | 1.3x |
| Review 500 lines of code | 1.3¢ | 7.7¢ | 6.0x |
| Write a SQL query | 0.67¢ | 0.77¢ | 1.2x |
| Run a 50-step coding agent | 50¢ | 39¢ | 1.3x |
Specs and list prices
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | GLM 5.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $0.82 | $0.079 |
| Output per 1M | $4.12 | $4.80 |
| Cached input per 1M | $0.083 | $0.078 |
| Context | 1M | 1M |
| Providers | 7 | 46 |
| Reasoning | always | always |
| LMArena Text | 1496 | 1478 |
| Released | Sep 2, 2026 | Aug 18, 2026 |
FAQ
Is Gemini 3.8 Flash or GLM 5.3 cheaper?
Gemini 3.8 Flash is cheaper on 8 of 14 tasks and about 1.3x cheaper on average (geometric mean). Gemini 3.8 Flash has the higher LMArena Text score (1496 vs 1478).
How much does Gemini 3.8 Flash cost compared to GLM 5.3 per token?
Gemini 3.8 Flash: $0.82 input and $4.12 output per 1M tokens. GLM 5.3: $0.079 input and $4.80 output. Token prices alone mislead - models use different numbers of tokens for the same task, which is what the task table shows.