DeepSeek V4-Pro vs GLM 5

DeepSeek · China  |  Z.ai · China · Updated June 2026

Quick verdict

Pick DeepSeek V4-Pro for open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable or 1m-token context with up to 384k output tokens. Pick GLM 5 for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows or complex systems design and backend reasoning. On a tight budget at scale, DeepSeek V4-Pro is the value pick.

DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek) and GLM 5 (Z.ai) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. DeepSeek V4-Pro is deepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. GLM 5 is z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.

Key differences at a glance

Side-by-side specs

SpecDeepSeek V4-ProGLM 5
ProviderDeepSeek (China) Z.ai (China)
ReleasedApril 24, 2026 February 11, 2026
Context window1M (~1,500 pages) 200K (~300 pages)
Price (in/out)$0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens
Open weight?Yes — self-hostable Yes — self-hostable
Modalitiestext, code text, code
SWE-Bench VerifiedNot published 77.8%
MRCR v2 @ 1MNot published Not published

Who wins what

Open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable

DeepSeek V4-Pro

DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices — and it runs cheaper at $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens.

1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Its 1M window holds about 5× more than GLM 5's 200K in a single prompt.

Permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026

DeepSeek V4-Pro

DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices — and it carries the larger 1M context.

Agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows

GLM 5

GLM 5 lists agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Complex systems design and backend reasoning

GLM 5

GLM 5 lists complex systems design and backend reasoning among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks

GLM 5

GLM 5 lists iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Lowest cost at scale

DeepSeek V4-Pro

At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.

Largest single-prompt input

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Its 1M window is about 5× larger than GLM 5's 200K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.

Which should you pick?

A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume

DeepSeek V4-Pro

At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts GLM 5, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.

Someone analysing very long documents or codebases

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.

Anyone whose priority is open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable

DeepSeek V4-Pro

It is specifically built for that.

Anyone whose priority is agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows

GLM 5

That is its strongest area.

DeepSeek V4-Pro: where it fits

DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. Released April 24, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable, 1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens, permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026, and sources place it near the top of open-weight coding, around 80 on SWE-Bench Verified.

Its trade-offs are real: independent SWE-Bench Verified placement is inconsistent across sources, pro and Pro-Max variants are quoted with different scores, text and code only — no image, audio or video, and overlaps DeepSeek V4 and V3.2 already in this comparison. At $0.435 in / $0.87 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.

GLM 5: where it fits

Z.ai's flagship open-weight (MIT) MoE foundation model, engineered for complex systems design and long-horizon agentic coding. Released February 11, 2026 by Z.ai, it is built for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows, complex systems design and backend reasoning, iterative self-correction on autonomous tasks, and open weights under the permissive MIT license.

Its trade-offs: 200K context trails 1M-context rivals, and quickly superseded by GLM-5.1 and GLM-5.2. At $1 in / $3.2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.

The bottom line for this matchup

DeepSeek V4-Pro and GLM 5 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. DeepSeek V4-Pro costs less per token; DeepSeek V4-Pro holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — DeepSeek V4-Pro for open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable, GLM 5 for agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.

Want both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GLM 5 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.

See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek V4-Pro or GLM 5 better for coding?

Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for DeepSeek V4-Pro, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, DeepSeek V4-Pro leans toward open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable while GLM 5 leans toward agentic planning and long-horizon coding workflows, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GLM 5?

DeepSeek V4-Pro is cheaper — $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $1/$3.2 per 1M tokens, roughly 2.3× apart on input.

Which has the bigger context window?

DeepSeek V4-Pro — 1M vs 200K, about 5× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.

Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GLM 5 together?

Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, GLM 5 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.

Which is newer, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GLM 5?

DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 2 months after GLM 5.

Related comparisons

Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.