DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.04 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25.3% lower; 1.34x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥GLM 5.3 Flash vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch)
Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) for lower cost; pick GLM 5.3 Flash 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 V4.1 Flash (batch) for lower cost; pick GLM 5.3 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is estimated at $0.28 vs $0.4 for GLM 5.3 Flash, saving $0.12 (30% lower).
Cost-first pickDeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch)
Context-first pickGLM 5.3 Flash
Sample savings$0.1230%
10x traffic gap$1.2
GLM 5.3 Flash has more context, but DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) saves $0.12 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.2. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GLM 5.3 Flash | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $1 | $0.73 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $0.65 | $0.45 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $2.65 | $1.79 |
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (32.8% lower; 1.49x difference).
GLM 5.3 Flash has 262.14K more context (1.25x larger).
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.12 cheaper on the standard workload (30% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) has the lower input price; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) has the lower output price; GLM 5.3 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.4 for GLM 5.3 Flash and $0.28 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch).
Choose GLM 5.3 Flash when you care most about larger context window.
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is estimated at $0.28 vs $0.4 for GLM 5.3 Flash, saving $0.12 (30% lower).
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.12 cheaper on the standard workload (30% lower).
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.04 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25.3% lower; 1.34x difference).
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is $0.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (32.8% lower; 1.49x difference).
- GLM 5.3 Flash has 262.14K more context (1.25x larger).
| Feature | 🔥GLM 5.3 Flash (Z.ai) | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) (DeepSeek) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.15 | $0.112 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.5 | $0.336 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.4 | $0.28 |
| Context Window | 1.31M | 1.05M |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #4 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is estimated at $0.28 vs $0.4 for GLM 5.3 Flash, saving $0.12 (30% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GLM 5.3 Flash | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- GLM 5.2 (free) can replace GLM 5.3 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- GLM 4.5 Air (free) can replace GLM 5.3 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- GLM 4 32B can replace GLM 5.3 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
- GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) can replace GLM 5.3 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.16.
- No larger-context model is currently tracked within a close sample-cost band.
- MiMo-V2.6-Pro · Xiaomi · #1
- Qwen3.8 Max (0902) · Qwen · #2
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
- Hy4 preview · Tencent · #5
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsZ.ai catalog
Review all tracked Z.ai models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Z.ai modelsDeepSeek catalog
Check other DeepSeek models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open DeepSeek modelsGLM-5.3-Flash is a native multimodal model from Z.ai. It is suited for efficient coding and long-horizon agent tasks. Its hybrid sparse and linear attention architecture maintains accurate long-context behavior while...
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is a sparse mixture-of-experts model from DeepSeek, and the first built on the company's Causal Encoder-Decoder (CED) architecture. It activates 8B parameters on input and 16B on...