TL;DR — the value-reasoning duel: GLM-5.1 wins input (~$0.84–1.12 vs $1.74), output is effectively a tie (~$3.36–3.92 vs $3.48). Every number below is from our weekly-verified pricing tracker (verified 2026-08-26).
Pricing side by side (per 1M tokens, USD)
| Model | Provider | Input | Output | |-------|----------|-------|--------| | DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek | $1.74 | $3.48 | | GLM-5.1 | Zhipu (Z.ai) | $0.84–1.12 | $3.36–3.92 |
Verified 2026-08-26 against official rate cards — the tracker keeps the change log.
What a real month costs
At a standard workload of 10M input + 2M output tokens/month:
- DeepSeek V4 Pro: $24.36
- GLM-5.1: $15.12–19.04
On this mix, GLM-5.1 is the cheaper column (1.4× gap). Your ratio will differ — run your own mix through the LLM cost calculator.
Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro if
predictable flat pricing and a longer public track record in Western tooling — DeepSeek's single rate is easier to budget than tiered billing.
Choose GLM-5.1 if
input-heavy workloads with short requests: GLM's request-length tiering means lean prompts bill at the bottom of its range — a discount routers can engineer for. How GLM's tiers work.
Routing decision card
- GLM's tiered billing is the hidden variable: keep prompts short and it wins input by up to 2×; let prompts bloat and the edge shrinks
- Output is a wash — this comparison is decided entirely on the input side
- Both fill the same routing slot; pick by measured quality on your tasks, keep the other as fallback
- The router answer: most teams shouldn't hard-pick one — ClawRouters routes each request to whichever side fits it, so the comparison becomes a per-call decision instead of a bet.
Per-model detail: GLM-5.1 deep dive
Part of the LLM model comparison index. Prices move fast in 2026 — the tracker logs every change with dates.