GLM 5.3 Flash vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash

As of November 12, 2026, MiniMax M3.1 Flash and GLM 5.3 Flash cost the same per input token ($0.15 per 1M), but MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 20% more per output token ($0.60 vs $0.50) and has a 1,000,000-token context window versus 1,048,576.

Prices from LiteLLM's price fileChecked November 12, 2026

GLM 5.3 Flash vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash side by side

Headline prices in US dollars per 1M tokens: each model's own lab where it sells it, otherwise its cheapest provider. Source: LiteLLM model price file, as of November 12, 2026.
	GLM 5.3 Flash	MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Input, per 1M tokens	$0.15	$0.15
Output, per 1M tokens	$0.50	$0.60
Cache read, per 1M tokens	$0.03	$0.015
Cache write, per 1M tokens	$0	–
Context window	1,048,576 tokens	1,000,000 tokens
Max output	128,000 tokens	524,288 tokens
Image input	Yes	Yes
Tool calling	Yes	Yes
Structured output (JSON)	Yes	Yes
Prompt caching	Yes	Yes
Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Providers on LiteLLM	24	9
Price shown is from	Z.ai	MiniMax
Added to LiteLLM	August 27, 2026	October 19, 2026

Cheapest provider for each

GLM 5.3 Flash: CLF AI Gateway at $0.06 input and $0.20 output per 1M tokens (clf_ai_gateway/glm-5.3-flash)
MiniMax M3.1 Flash: Refuseless at $0.05 input and $0.25 output per 1M tokens (refuseless/minimax-m3.1-flash)

When to pick which

Pick GLM 5.3 Flash for

Costs 17% less per output token: $0.50 vs $0.60 per 1M.
Available from 24 providers through LiteLLM, vs 9.

Pick MiniMax M3.1 Flash for

Returns up to 524,288 tokens per response, vs 128,000.

From differences in the data above only; where the data is equal, no reason is given.

Call GLM 5.3 Flash or MiniMax M3.1 Flash with LiteLLM

Both use the OpenAI format through LiteLLM, so switching is a model name change. Set each provider's API key in the environment first.

Python SDK

from litellm import completion

messages = [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]

# GLM 5.3 Flash
response = completion(model="zai/glm-5.3-flash", messages=messages)

# MiniMax M3.1 Flash
response = completion(model="minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", messages=messages)

# GLM 5.3 Flash, falling back to MiniMax M3.1 Flash if the call fails
response = completion(model="zai/glm-5.3-flash", messages=messages, fallbacks=["minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash"])

FAQ

Which is cheaper, GLM 5.3 Flash or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash is cheaper at 3 input tokens per output token: $0.2375 per 1M tokens blended ($0.15 input, $0.50 output), versus $0.2625 ($0.15 and $0.60) for MiniMax M3.1 Flash, as of November 12, 2026.

Which has the larger context window, GLM 5.3 Flash or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?

GLM 5.3 Flash has the larger context window: 1,048,576 tokens, versus 1,000,000 for MiniMax M3.1 Flash.

Can I switch from GLM 5.3 Flash to MiniMax M3.1 Flash without changing my code?

Yes. Through LiteLLM both use the OpenAI format, so switching means changing the model name from "zai/glm-5.3-flash" to "minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", or pointing a LiteLLM gateway model alias at the other model. You can also use one as a fallback for the other.