API cost decision in 10 seconds

GLM 5 vs 🔥DeepSeek V3.2

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick GLM 5 only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick GLM 5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.56 for GLM 5, saving $1.12 (71.7% lower).

Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.2
Context-first pickGLM 5
Sample savings$1.1271.7%
10x traffic gap$11.19

GLM 5 has more context, but DeepSeek V3.2 saves $1.12 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $11.19. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

DeepSeek V3.2 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGLM 5DeepSeek V3.2
Input-heavy / RAG 5M input + 500K output DeepSeek V3.2 $3.96 $1.45
Balanced workload 1M input + 1M output DeepSeek V3.2 $2.52 $0.63
Output-heavy chatbot 1M input + 5M output DeepSeek V3.2 $10.2 $2.14
Cheaper inputDeepSeek V3.2$0.6 vs $0.25 / 1M
Cheaper outputDeepSeek V3.2$1.92 vs $0.38 / 1M
Larger contextGLM 5202.75K vs 131.07K
Sample workloadDeepSeek V3.2$1.56 vs $0.44

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GLM 5Calculating…Estimated API cost
DeepSeek V3.2Calculating…Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workloadCalculating…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 V3.2 has the lower input price, DeepSeek V3.2 has the lower output price, and GLM 5 offers the larger context window.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.56 for GLM 5 and $0.44 for DeepSeek V3.2.

Best Fit

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

Choose DeepSeek V3.2 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGLM 5
(Z.ai)		🔥DeepSeek V3.2
(DeepSeek)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.6$0.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.92$0.38
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1.56$0.44
Context Window202.75K131.07K
Release Date2026-02-112025-12-01
Popularity#8
GLM 5

GLM-5 is Z.ai’s flagship open-source foundation model engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agent workflows. Built for expert developers, it delivers production-grade performance on large-scale programming tasks, rivaling leading...

DeepSeek V3.2

DeepSeek-V3.2 is a large language model designed to harmonize high computational efficiency with strong reasoning and agentic tool-use performance. It introduces DeepSeek Sparse Attention (DSA), a fine-grained sparse attention mechanism...

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionDeepSeek V3.2On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.56 for GLM 5, saving $1.12 (71.7% lower).
High-volume input processingDeepSeek V3.2Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDeepSeek V3.2Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGLM 5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files.