Gemini 3.8 Flash High vs GLM-5.3 Max compared

GLM-5.3 Max leads the intelligence index 31.7 to 30.8. Gemini 3.8 Flash High costs 30% less on blended price. Benchmarks, sample bills, speed and a verdict.

Metric	Gemini 3.8 Flash (High)	GLM-5.3 (Max)
Intelligence Index	30.8	31.7
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.75	$1.40
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$3.75	$4.40
Output speed (tokens/s)	121	74
Time to first token	27s	1.7s
Release date	2026-09-02	2026-08-18

Metric

Gemini 3.8 Flash (High)

GLM-5.3 (Max)

Intelligence Index

30.8

31.7

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.75

$1.40

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$3.75

$4.40

Output speed (tokens/s)

121

Time to first token

27s

1.7s

Release date

2026-09-02

2026-08-18

Gemini 3.8 Flash (High) and GLM-5.3 (Max) are close rivals from Google and Z AI. Time to first token is the standout number here: 1.7 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max, 27 seconds for Gemini 3.8 Flash High. What follows is built entirely from tracked data, so where the catalogue is silent, this page says so instead of guessing.

Throughput and time to first token

Once a response is under way, Gemini 3.8 Flash High produces roughly 121 tokens per second against 74 tokens per second for GLM-5.3 Max. Gemini 3.8 Flash High is ahead by 64% on throughput. Before any text appears, Gemini 3.8 Flash High takes 27 seconds and GLM-5.3 Max 1.7 seconds. That is a genuine trade-off: GLM-5.3 Max starts sooner, while Gemini 3.8 Flash High finishes first once outputs run beyond about 4,800 tokens.

Add the two numbers up for an 800-token reply and GLM-5.3 Max finishes first: 34 seconds for Gemini 3.8 Flash High, 13 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max.

When they came out

The release dates are August 18, 2026 for GLM-5.3 Max and September 2, 2026 for Gemini 3.8 Flash High, 15 days apart. That is close enough to count them as the same generation.

GLM-5.3 Max leads on the intelligence index

Gemini 3.8 Flash High records 30.8 on the intelligence index and GLM-5.3 Max records 31.7. A gap that small is inside the range where one aggregate cannot name a winner.

Across the 109 active models with an intelligence score in the catalogue, Gemini 3.8 Flash High ranks 50th and GLM-5.3 Max ranks 47th.

The catalogue does not yet split either model's score into coding and math indexes.

Token pricing and a sample bill

Per million tokens, Gemini 3.8 Flash High charges $0.75 for input and $3.75 for output, while GLM-5.3 Max charges $1.40 and $4.40. That makes Gemini 3.8 Flash High's output 15% cheaper.

For a sample workload of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens, Gemini 3.8 Flash High would cost $1.50 and GLM-5.3 Max $2.28, a difference of $0.78. For a month of coding-assistant traffic at 30 million input and 3 million output tokens, Gemini 3.8 Flash High would come in 39% lower: $33.75 for Gemini 3.8 Flash High against $55.20 for GLM-5.3 Max.

Score per dollar

Dividing the blended price by the intelligence index gives a rough cost per point: $0.049 for Gemini 3.8 Flash High and $0.068 for GLM-5.3 Max, per million tokens. Gemini 3.8 Flash High delivers each index point for 28% less; whether GLM-5.3 Max's extra 0.9 points are worth the premium depends on how often your tasks need them.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash High better than GLM-5.3 Max?

Neither wins everywhere: GLM-5.3 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 31.7 to 30.8; Gemini 3.8 Flash High is 30% cheaper on blended price; Gemini 3.8 Flash High streams output 1.6 times as fast; and GLM-5.3 Max reaches its first token sooner.

Where do these numbers come from?

The figures are the recorded benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's model catalogue. This page is written from that data automatically; neither model was tested by hand for it.

Which is faster, Gemini 3.8 Flash High or GLM-5.3 Max?

Gemini 3.8 Flash High generates output faster, at 121 tokens per second against 74 tokens per second. GLM-5.3 Max reaches its first token sooner (1.7 seconds against 27 seconds). Counting the first-token wait, GLM-5.3 Max finishes short replies first and Gemini 3.8 Flash High pulls ahead beyond about 4,800 tokens.

Which is newer, Gemini 3.8 Flash High or GLM-5.3 Max?

Gemini 3.8 Flash High is newer. It was released on September 2, 2026, 15 days after GLM-5.3 Max (August 18, 2026).

Is GLM-5.3 Max cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash High?

Gemini 3.8 Flash High is cheaper on a blended basis. Gemini 3.8 Flash High lists $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens; GLM-5.3 Max lists $1.40 and $4.40. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $1.50 against $2.28.

Final whistle

The verdict: GLM-5.3 Max has more going for it here, but Gemini 3.8 Flash High is not without an argument. Pick GLM-5.3 Max if users are waiting on the first word. Pick Gemini 3.8 Flash High if cost matters ($3.75 against $4.40 per million output tokens) and your outputs often run past about 4,800 tokens.

Where the numbers come from

The scores, speed and prices in this comparison come from independent third-party model evaluations that Franklin AI syncs each day, and the article was written from a snapshot of them. For the latest results, open the Gemini 3.8 Flash (High) and GLM-5.3 (Max) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.

Gemini 3.8 Flash High vs GLM-5.3 Max: latency, speed and cost

Pick it for Gemini 3.8 Flash · High

Pick it for GLM-5.3 · Max

By the numbers