Comparison · DeepSeek and Z.ai
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 vs GLM 5.3 Flash
Listed API prices of DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 and GLM 5.3 Flash turned into the cost of the same three standard tasks and what each provider’s API documentation says about features that break on a switch. Output quality, speed and answer length are not compared.
Calculated impact cost per task and per month
For an L2 task (deep analysis over a 50,000-token document, 3 steps), DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 costs $0.0078 and GLM 5.3 Flash $0.0056 at the prices listed in the United States on , so DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 is 39.9 % more than GLM 5.3 Flash, counting visible output only, without cache discounts or hidden reasoning.
| Task | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, per task | GLM 5.3 Flash, per task | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, per month | GLM 5.3 Flash, per month | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 vs GLM 5.3 Flash, per task |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1Micro-task (classification or strict JSON extraction) | $0.0001per L1 task | $0.0001per L1 task | $1.83per month | $0.976per month | +87.1 % |
| L2Deep analysis over a 50,000-token document | $0.0078per L2 task | $0.0056per L2 task | $113.89per month | $81.40per month | +39.9 % |
| L3Agentic coding loop, 15 steps | $0.060per L3 task | $0.045per L3 task | $872.97per month | $654.32per month | +33.4 % |
Calculated Per month: 20 tasks an hour around the clock, 730 hours.
Prices USD per 1M tokens
| Price | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | GLM 5.3 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input, per 1M tokens | $0.043 | $0.034 |
| Output, per 1M tokens | $0.300 | $0.083 |
| Price from | OpenRouter · source page (data) Published | OpenRouter · source page (data) Published |
| Read | · the United States | · the United States |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
What breaks when you switch Published provider documentation
Moving from DeepSeek to Z.ai: every feature that DeepSeek’s documentation lists as supported is also listed as supported by Z.ai.
Moving from Z.ai to DeepSeek: every feature that Z.ai’s documentation lists as supported is also listed as supported by DeepSeek.
| Feature of the API | DeepSeek | Z.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Strict JSON schemas | Partly | Partly |
| Parallel tool calls | Not stated | Not stated |
| Streamed tool arguments | Not stated | Partly |
| Reasoning with tools | Yes | Yes |
| Cache covers tool definitions | Not stated | Not stated |
What each provider’s own API documentation says, read ; “not stated” is not the same as “no”. Quotes and sources: what breaks when you switch AI APIs.
Price changes in the last 30 days
- The listed price of DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.02 → $0.44, output $1.28 → $1.32 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.44 → $0.12, output $1.32 → $0.24 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.12 → $0.06, output $0.24 → $0.30 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.06 → $0.04 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of GLM 5.3 Flash changed on on OpenRouter: output 131,072 tokens → 943,718 tokens per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of GLM 5.3 Flash changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.02 → $0.05 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of GLM 5.3 Flash changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.05 → $0.15, output $0.20 → $0.50 per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of GLM 5.3 Flash changed on on OpenRouter: output 943,717 tokens → 131,072 tokens per 1M tokens.
- The listed price of GLM 5.3 Flash changed on on OpenRouter: input $0.15 → $0.03, output $0.50 → $0.08 per 1M tokens.