Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs GLM-5.3-Flash
Anthropic vs Alibaba Cloud Model Studio · Zhipu (direct) · prices and specs, line by line
Claude Sonnet 5.5 (Anthropic) vs GLM-5.3-Flash (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio · Zhipu (direct)), side by side: input/output/cache-hit prices, time-based pricing, context window, modalities and a fixed-assumption monthly cost. Green marks the better row.
| Dimension | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | GLM-5.3-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor / channel | Anthropic | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio · Zhipu (direct) |
| Context window | 1024K | 1024K |
| Modalities | Text, Image understanding | Text, Image understanding, Video understanding |
| Features | Balanced workhorse, Agentic coding | Lightweight, low cost, Thinking-only mode |
| Input (cache miss) | $2 | ¥0.8 |
| Output | $10 | ¥2.8 |
| Cache hit | $0.1 | ¥0.23 |
| Time-based pricing | ||
| Est. monthly cost* | $32.58 |
¥10.49 |
| Price source | Anthropic official pricing | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio — GLM-5.3-Flash model page |
| Verified | 2026-10-28 | 2026-10-28 |
* Fixed assumptions for the example monthly cost: 100 calls/day · 2,000 input / 800 output tokens per call · off-peak rates · 30% cache hit rate · 30-day month — the same formula and defaults as the cost calculator. USD models are converted to CNY at the reference rate for comparison (see summary). Costs within display precision are marked tied; neither side is favored.
Comparison summary (fixed usage basis)
- Estimated monthly cost: Claude Sonnet 5.5 ¥218.87 vs GLM-5.3-Flash ¥10.49 on a common CNY basis (list prices $32.58 / ¥10.49) — at this fixed usage, GLM-5.3-Flash is cheaper by ¥208.38/month.
- Cost ratio: under this basis, Claude Sonnet 5.5 costs about 20.9× GLM-5.3-Flash (GLM-5.3-Flash is ~95% cheaper). The ratio holds only at the current list prices, reference rate and fixed usage assumptions; it says nothing about capability, output quality or overall value.
- Input unit price (off-peak / single-price basis): list prices $2 vs ¥0.8; after conversion GLM-5.3-Flash is lower (by ≈ ¥12.64/1M tokens).
- Output unit price (off-peak / single-price basis): list prices $10 vs ¥2.8; after conversion GLM-5.3-Flash is lower (by ≈ ¥64.38/1M tokens).
- Cache-hit price (off-peak basis): Claude Sonnet 5.5 $0.1; GLM-5.3-Flash ¥0.23.
- Currencies: Claude Sonnet 5.5 is billed in USD, GLM-5.3-Flash in CNY; conversion uses the CFETS central parity rate (see above) and is indicative only.
- Context window: identical at 1024K.
- Modalities: Claude Sonnet 5.5=Text, Image understanding; GLM-5.3-Flash=Text, Image understanding, Video understanding (GLM-5.3-Flash adds Video understanding).
- Price sources: Anthropic official pricing (verified 2026-10-28), Alibaba Cloud Model Studio — GLM-5.3-Flash model page (verified 2026-10-28); unit: official list price per 1M tokens (Claude Sonnet 5.5 in USD, GLM-5.3-Flash in CNY; cross-currency figures converted to CNY as noted above).
These are computations from published list prices under fixed call volume, token usage, cache assumptions and billing rules. They are not rankings of capability, output quality or overall value, and do not constitute purchase advice.