# GLM 5.3: API price, context window and how to connect

GLM 5.3 by Z.ai (Zhipu): $0.079 per million input tokens, $1.4 per million output tokens, a 1.05M-token window. What it is good for, what to compare it with and how to connect it in SKILLOK.

## In short

A large reasoning model from Z.ai (Zhipu) for complex software engineering and long agentic tasks. Text in and out, a 1-million-token window. The weights are open.

## Specifications

| | |
|---|---|
| Provider | [Z.ai (Zhipu)](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/providers/zhipu) |
| Released | 2026-08-18 |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens |
| Accepts | text |
| Answers with | text |
| Reasoning mode | yes |
| Tool calling | yes |
| Open weights | yes |
| Identifier | `z-ai/glm-5.3` |

## Price

| Per 1M tokens | In dollars |
|---|---|
| Input (question, context) | $0.079 |
| Output (answer) | $1.4 |

For reference: a conversation of 20 questions of ~500 tokens and answers of ~800 tokens costs about **$0.023**. Models in reasoning mode spend more tokens on an answer than the text shows: the reasoning is paid for too.

## What it is good for

* Complex development
* Long agentic tasks
* Cheap input with long context

## Similar models

Catalog models with the same kind of output, closest in the price of a typical request.

| Model | Input | Output | Window | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Qwen3.7 Plus](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/qwen3-7-plus) | $0.32 | $1.28 | 1M | 1.2× more expensive |
| [Llama 4 Maverick](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/llama-4-maverick) | $0.188 | $0.652 | 1.05M | 1.6× cheaper |
| [Qwen3.8 27B](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/qwen3-8-27b) | $0.24 | $2.2 | 1M | 1.7× more expensive |
| [Devstral 2 2512](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/devstral-2512) | $0.4 | $2 | 262K | 1.7× more expensive |
| [DeepSeek V3.2](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/deepseek-v3-2) | $0.28 | $0.42 | 164K | 1.8× cheaper |

## Other Z.ai (Zhipu) models

* [GLM 5.3 Flash](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/glm-5-3-flash)
* [GLM 5.3 Prime](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/glm-5-3-prime)

## How to connect in SKILLOK

GLM 5.3 works through OpenRouter: add an OpenRouter key in **Settings → AI** and pick the `z-ai/glm-5.3` model. It then becomes available in Space AI, in tasks and to the repository agent. In detail — [Connecting a model in SKILLOK](https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/connecting-in-skillok).

## Where the data comes from

Prices, the context window and capabilities come from the public OpenRouter catalog as of 2026-10-19. A provider may change the price — the exact figure is always on the model's OpenRouter page.

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https://skillok.org/docs/en/ai-models/models/glm-5-3