DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3

    Comparison

    As of August 20, 2026, DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 53% cheaper per million tokens than GLM-5.3. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is $0.55 / $2.19 per million input/output tokens versus GLM-5.3 at $1.40 / $4.40. Sources: https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing and https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing

    Sources: DeepSeek API pricing (https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing); Z AI pricing (https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing)

    Better value

    DeepSeek-R1-0528

    DeepSeek

    $2.74blended / 1M

    Input

    $0.55

    Output

    $2.19

    131.1K ctx|Open Source
    53%
    cheaper

    GLM-5.3

    Z AI

    $5.80blended / 1M

    Input

    $1.40

    Output

    $4.40

    1M ctx|Open Source
    Save $3.06 per million tokens by choosing DeepSeek-R1-0528 over GLM-5.3.

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 comparison

    Token pricing, specs, and benchmarks side by side

    Metric
    DeepSeek-R1-0528
    GLM-5.3
    Provider
    Provider
    DeepSeek
    Z AI
    License
    Open Source
    Open Source
    Release Date
    2025-05-28
    2026-08-14
    Pricing (per 1M tokens)
    Input Price-61%
    $0.55
    $1.40
    Output Price-50%
    $2.19
    $4.40
    Blended (1M + 1M)
    $2.74
    $5.80
    Model Details
    Context Window
    131.1K
    1M
    Max Output Tokens
    131.1K
    N/A
    Knowledge Cutoff
    N/A
    N/A
    Throughput
    9 tok/s
    N/A
    Benchmark Wins
    DeepSeek-R1-0528 0|2 GLM-5.3

    Verdict

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3: the bottom line

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 offers significantly lower pricing, while GLM-5.3 leads on benchmark performance. Your choice depends on whether cost efficiency or raw capability matters more for your use case.

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 FAQ

    Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3?

    As of August 20, 2026, DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 53% cheaper on blended LLM API pricing. DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs $0.55 per million input tokens and $2.19 per million output tokens ($2.74 blended 1M-in + 1M-out). GLM-5.3 costs $1.40 / $4.40 per million tokens ($5.80 blended). Sources: https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing and https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing. The cheapest LLM for your app still depends on how many output tokens you generate.

    How much does DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 cost per million tokens?

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 DeepSeek API pricing is $0.55 input and $2.19 output per million tokens via DeepSeek. GLM-5.3 Z AI API pricing is $1.40 input and $4.40 output per million tokens via Z AI. Use those four numbers, not ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro subscription prices, when you are comparing APIs.

    Which is better for coding, DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3?

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 has a published SWE-bench Verified score of 44.6%. GLM-5.3 does not have that eval on this page yet.

    What is the context window for DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3?

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 supports a 131K token context window, while GLM-5.3 supports 1M tokens. GLM-5.3 offers a larger context window. Filling a larger window bills more input tokens, so the cheaper-per-million model can still cost more on long documents.

    Which model performs better on benchmarks, DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3?

    GLM-5.3 leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks versus DeepSeek-R1-0528's 0 wins. Check the comparison table for GPQA Diamond, SWE-bench, MMLU, HLE, and the other evals we track. Token price and benchmark score together are the usual LLM comparison, not either number alone.

    Is DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3 better for production use?

    Both DeepSeek-R1-0528 and GLM-5.3 are production API models. For cost-sensitive production traffic, DeepSeek-R1-0528 has better economics on the blended 1M-in + 1M-out scale. For maximum capability, weight the benchmark table for your domain. Many production stacks route cheap models for drafts and a frontier model for the hard turn, which is usually cheaper than sending everything to the expensive API.

    Can I switch between DeepSeek-R1-0528 and GLM-5.3 in my app?

    Yes. Call DeepSeek-R1-0528 through DeepSeek and GLM-5.3 through Z AI with separate API keys, or through a gateway that already wraps both. Keep prompts in tokens, not characters, when you estimate the invoice. AnotherWrapper templates can swap providers without rewriting auth and billing.

    How accurate is this DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 pricing data?

    List rates are the latest published DeepSeek API pricing and Z AI API pricing, quoted per million tokens. Official rate sheets: https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing and https://docs.z.ai/guides/overview/pricing. Prompt caching, batch APIs, and committed-use discounts can change the invoice. Benchmark scores are from official publications and independent evals, updated as new numbers land.

    What is the output token limit for DeepSeek-R1-0528 and GLM-5.3?

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 supports up to 131K output tokens per request, while GLM-5.3 supports up to an unspecified number of output tokens. Output tokens are usually the expensive half of API pricing, so a higher max output cap is a capability, not a discount.

    Which model has better throughput, DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3?

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 has a measured throughput of approximately 9 tokens/second. Throughput data for GLM-5.3 is not yet available. Throughput (tokens per second) and time-to-first-token are why two models with the same per-million-token price can still feel different in chat and agents.

    How do I switch the models in this DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 comparison?

    Use the model pickers at the top of this LLM comparison. Search any model in the index and the URL updates. Open DeepSeek-R1-0528 or GLM-5.3 from the sidebar for the single-model API pricing page, or go back to the LLM pricing table to sort by cheapest blended cost.

    DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs GLM-5.3 pricing

    This comparison covers API pricing, context window, throughput, and benchmark scores. DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs $0.55/M input and $2.19/M output. GLM-5.3 costs $1.40/M input and $4.40/M output.

    Rank both on the LLM leaderboard, SWE-bench, and Humanity's Last Exam.

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