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Qwen 3.8 Max vs GLM-5.2
Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher than GLM-5.2 on both public leaderboards that rate them. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 55.6 and GLM-5.2 at 31.4 (out of 100). On each maker's API, Qwen 3.8 Max costs $2 / $6 per 1M tokens (input / output) and GLM-5.2 $1.40 / $4.40.
Scores as published by each board; table composed November 8, 2026.
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Leaderboard by leaderboard
| Board | Qwen 3.8 Max | GLM-5.2 | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Elo (community votes) | 1,677.1 | 1,606.4 | Qwen 3.8 Max |
| SimpleBench AVG@5 % (private set) | 62.5 | 58.8 | Qwen 3.8 Max |
Raw scores are each board's own scale, so compare within a row, not across rows. Full table: the bench index.
For coding
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 38.3 (#28 of 45) and GLM-5.2 at 28.3 (#35). Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on both coding boards that rate them.
| Coding board | Qwen 3.8 Max | GLM-5.2 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena · Coding | 1,502.2 | 1,487.8 |
| Vals Vibe Code Bench | 77.1 | 64 |
Qwen 3.8 Max at a glance
- Developer
- Alibaba
- Status
- Live since August 1, 2026
- API price
- $2 input / $6 output per 1M tokens · Alibaba, qwen3.8-max
- Context window
- 1M tokens
Live - flagship since Aug 1 · 2.4T tier listed Aug 12.
Qwen3.8-Max quietly lost its preview label — Alibaba is now serving it as the flagship
2026-08-03 · Alibaba is serving Qwen3.8-Max on chat.qwen.ai under the plain id `qwen3.8-max`. The preview suffix is gone.
GLM-5.2 at a glance
- Developer
- Zhipu AI
- Status
- Live since June 16, 2026
- API price
- $1.40 input / $4.40 output per 1M tokens · Z.AI, glm-5.2
- Context window
- 1M tokens
Live — $0.40/$2.52 per 1M · no longer the current shipped GLM: 5.3 landed Aug 14 and 5.3 Flash Aug 26.
Qwen 3.8 Max vs GLM-5.2: quick answers
Which is better, Qwen 3.8 Max or GLM-5.2?
It depends on what you measure. Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher than GLM-5.2 on both public leaderboards that rate them. Qwen 3.8 Max's widest lead is on LMArena. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 55.6 and GLM-5.2 at 31.4 (out of 100).
Which is newer, Qwen 3.8 Max or GLM-5.2?
Qwen 3.8 Max. It went live on August 1, 2026, 46 days after GLM-5.2 (June 16, 2026).
Which is cheaper, Qwen 3.8 Max or GLM-5.2?
GLM-5.2 is cheaper on both input and output. On each vendor's own API, Qwen 3.8 Max is $2 input / $6 output per million tokens and GLM-5.2 is $1.40 input / $4.40 output per million tokens. Prices as published in the models.dev catalog, as of 2026-11-08.
Which has the bigger context window, Qwen 3.8 Max or GLM-5.2?
Neither. Both take 1M tokens.
How do Qwen 3.8 Max and GLM-5.2 compare for coding?
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 38.3 (#28 of 45) and GLM-5.2 at 28.3 (#35). Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on both coding boards that rate them.
Who makes Qwen 3.8 Max and GLM-5.2?
Qwen 3.8 Max is from Alibaba; GLM-5.2 is from Zhipu AI.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each score is the leaderboard's own published figure, read by ArtificialWatch (table composed November 8, 2026). Boards measure different things, so raw scores are only comparable within a row.
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Also: the bench index · API pricing · what a workload costs on each · the wire