Comparisons › Kimi K3 vs GLM-5.3: the open-weight value fight

Kimi K3 vs GLM-5.3: the open-weight value fight

Two open-weight families that have pulled level with the closed frontier on design quality. They get there in very different ways — and at very different prices.

Value verdict: on intelligence per $1, GLM currently comes out ahead — 123,288 vs 36,667. Prices move often, so recheck the calculator regularly.

At a glance

Model compared

Kimi K3	GLM-5.3 (max)	GLM
Flagship model	Kimi K3	GLM-5.3 (max)
Input / 1M	$3	$1.40
Output / 1M	$15	$4.40
Intelligence index	44	45
Tokens / $1	83.3k	274.0k
Intelligence / $1	36,667	123,288
Cheapest plan	—	—

Price

GLM-5.3 is $1.40 / $4.40 per 1M tokens. Kimi K3 is $3 / $15 — more than twice the price on both axes. On pure tokens per dollar, GLM-5.3 wins comfortably.

Capability

Both are open-weight and both are excellent at front-end design; Kimi K3 is the model practitioner rankings place highest of the two for design and one-shot work, and GLM-5.3's catch is speed rather than quality. Kimi's own weakness is serving capacity too — it sits among the slower models we track, which is a real cost when you iterate.

When to pick which

Pick Kimi K3 when design quality and one-shot reliability decide the outcome and you can tolerate the price. Pick GLM-5.3 when cost dominates and you are not in a hurry. Either way, if speed is the constraint, Gemini's Flash models or Grok 4.6 will finish the job faster — for more money.

Bottom line: GLM-5.3 is the cheaper model and the higher index of the two, but serving speed is its weakness; Kimi K3 is the stronger design and one-shot performer. Pick on reliability, not price.