API cost decision in 10 seconds

DeepSeek V3.1 vs GLM 5V Turbo

Pick DeepSeek V3.1 for lower cost; pick GLM 5V Turbo only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick DeepSeek V3.1 for lower cost; pick GLM 5V Turbo only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 is estimated at $0.6 vs $3.2 for GLM 5V Turbo, saving $2.6 (81.1% lower).

Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.1
Context-first pickGLM 5V Turbo
Sample savings$2.681.1%
10x traffic gap$25.95

GLM 5V Turbo has more context, but DeepSeek V3.1 saves $2.6 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $25.95. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

DeepSeek V3.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickDeepSeek V3.1GLM 5V Turbo
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputDeepSeek V3.1$1.45$8
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputDeepSeek V3.1$1$5.2
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputDeepSeek V3.1$4.16$21.2
Cheaper input DeepSeek V3.1 $0.21 vs $1.2 / 1M

DeepSeek V3.1 is $0.99 cheaper per 1M input tokens (82.5% lower; 5.71x difference).

Cheaper output DeepSeek V3.1 $0.79 vs $4 / 1M

DeepSeek V3.1 is $3.21 cheaper per 1M output tokens (80.2% lower; 5.06x difference).

Larger context GLM 5V Turbo 163.84K vs 202.75K

GLM 5V Turbo has 38.91K more context (1.24x larger).

Sample workload DeepSeek V3.1 $0.6 vs $3.2

DeepSeek V3.1 is $2.6 cheaper on the standard workload (81.1% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek V3.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost
GLM 5V Turbo Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

DeepSeek V3.1 has the lower input price; DeepSeek V3.1 has the lower output price; GLM 5V Turbo offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V3.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.6 for DeepSeek V3.1 and $3.2 for GLM 5V Turbo.

Best Fit

Choose DeepSeek V3.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GLM 5V Turbo when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 is estimated at $0.6 vs $3.2 for GLM 5V Turbo, saving $2.6 (81.1% lower).
  • DeepSeek V3.1 is $2.6 cheaper on the standard workload (81.1% lower).
  • DeepSeek V3.1 is $0.99 cheaper per 1M input tokens (82.5% lower; 5.71x difference).
  • DeepSeek V3.1 is $3.21 cheaper per 1M output tokens (80.2% lower; 5.06x difference).
  • GLM 5V Turbo has 38.91K more context (1.24x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureDeepSeek V3.1
(DeepSeek)		GLM 5V Turbo
(Z.ai)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.21$1.2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0.79$4
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.6$3.2
Context Window163.84K202.75K
Release Date
Popularity#59#136

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionDeepSeek V3.1On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 is estimated at $0.6 vs $3.2 for GLM 5V Turbo, saving $2.6 (81.1% lower).
High-volume input processingDeepSeek V3.1Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDeepSeek V3.1Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGLM 5V TurboA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V3.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace DeepSeek V3.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
  • R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace DeepSeek V3.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
  • DeepSeek V3.2 can replace DeepSeek V3.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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DeepSeek catalog

Review all tracked DeepSeek models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open DeepSeek models

Z.ai catalog

Check other Z.ai models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Z.ai models
DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek-V3.1 is a large hybrid reasoning model (671B parameters, 37B active) that supports both thinking and non-thinking modes via prompt templates. It extends the DeepSeek-V3 base with a two-phase long-context...

GLM 5V Turbo

GLM-5V-Turbo is Z.ai’s first native multimodal agent foundation model, built for vision-based coding and agent-driven tasks. It natively handles image, video, and text inputs, excels at long-horizon planning, complex coding,...