API cost decision in 10 seconds
GLM 5 vs 🔥Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Pick GLM 5 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3 Flash Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick GLM 5 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3 Flash Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 is estimated at $1.56 vs $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview, saving $0.44 (22% lower).
Cost-first pickGLM 5
Context-first pickGemini 3 Flash Preview
Sample savings$0.4422%
10x traffic gap$4.4
Gemini 3 Flash Preview has more context, but GLM 5 saves $0.44 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.4. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
GLM 5 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GLM 5 | Gemini 3 Flash Preview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | GLM 5 | $3.96 | $4 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | GLM 5 | $2.52 | $3.5 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | GLM 5 | $10.2 | $15.5 |
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Gemini 3 Flash Preview has the lower input price, GLM 5 has the lower output price, and Gemini 3 Flash Preview offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.56 for GLM 5 and $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview.
Choose GLM 5 when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose Gemini 3 Flash Preview when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
| Feature | GLM 5 (Z.ai) | 🔥Gemini 3 Flash Preview (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.6 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.92 | $3 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.56 | $2 |
| Context Window | 202.75K | 1.05M |
| Release Date | 2026-02-11 | 2025-12-17 |
| Popularity | #7 |
GLM-5 is Z.ai’s flagship open-source foundation model engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agent workflows. Built for expert developers, it delivers production-grade performance on large-scale programming tasks, rivaling leading...
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is a high speed, high value thinking model designed for agentic workflows, multi turn chat, and coding assistance. It delivers near Pro level reasoning and tool...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | GLM 5 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GLM 5 is estimated at $1.56 vs $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview, saving $0.44 (22% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Gemini 3 Flash Preview | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | GLM 5 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemini 3 Flash Preview | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |