GLM-5.2 (Max) vs Kimi K3 (Low)
Which is better for the money: GLM-5.2 (Max) by Z AI or Kimi K3 (Low) by Kimi? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-25.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GLM-5.2 (Max) scores 3.6 points higher (33.7 vs 30.1) but costs 1.8× as much to run the benchmark ($2097 vs $1190; flagship vs premium cost classes). Pick GLM-5.2 (Max) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise Kimi K3 (Low).
| Metric | GLM-5.2 (Max) | Kimi K3 (Low) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 33.7 | 30.1 | −10.7% Kimi K3 (Low) is 10.7% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $2,097.29 | $1,190.42 | −43.2% Kimi K3 (Low) is 43.2% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 29.25s | 62.29s | +113.0% Kimi K3 (Low) is 113.0% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $1.40 / $4.40 | $3.00 / $15.0 | |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image |
Kimi K3 (Low) vs GLM-5.2 (Max): 10.7% less intelligence, 43.2% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 113.0% slower end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GLM-5.2 (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
- Kimi K3 (Low) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
GLM-5.2 (Max)Kimi K3 (Low)Today's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/glm-5-2/kimi-k3-low · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/glm-5-2/kimi-k3-low?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill