GLM-5V-Turbo vs Grok-3
GLM-5V-Turbo (2026) and Grok-3 (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Zhipu AI and xAI. GLM-5V-Turbo ships a 200k-token context window, while Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window. On pricing, Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input tokens versus $1.20/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Grok-3 is ~50% cheaper at $0.80/1M; pay for GLM-5V-Turbo only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GLM-5V-Turbo | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 131k |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- GLM-5V-Turbo has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags GLM-5V-Turbo for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Grok-3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.40/1M tokens.
- Grok-3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GLM-5V-Turbo
$1,960
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Grok-3
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Estimated monthly gap: $720. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $1.60/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GLM-5V-Turbo is $1.60/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-01 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 200k | 131k |
| Parameters | 744B total, 40B active | — |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | - |
| License | MIT(OSI) | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-11 | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GLM-5V-Turbo | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.20/1M tokens | $0.80/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GLM-5V-Turbo | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint is close: both models cover vision, multimodal input, reasoning mode, function calling, and tool use. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, GLM-5V-Turbo lists $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Grok-3 lists $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok-3 lower by about $0.76 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GLM-5V-Turbo when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Grok-3 when vision-heavy evaluation, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GLM-5V-Turbo or Grok-3?
GLM-5V-Turbo supports 200k tokens, while Grok-3 supports 131k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is cheaper, GLM-5V-Turbo or Grok-3?
Grok-3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GLM-5V-Turbo costs $1.20/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GLM-5V-Turbo or Grok-3 open source?
GLM-5V-Turbo is listed under MIT. Grok-3 is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, GLM-5V-Turbo or Grok-3?
Both GLM-5V-Turbo and Grok-3 expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, GLM-5V-Turbo or Grok-3?
Both GLM-5V-Turbo and Grok-3 expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run GLM-5V-Turbo and Grok-3?
GLM-5V-Turbo is available on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway. Grok-3 is available on OpenRouter, xAI Console, Chutes AI, and Microsoft Foundry. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.