DeepSeek V4-Pro vs GLM 5.1

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 5.1 for long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs) or state-of-the-art open-weight coding (topped swe-bench pro at launch). On a tight budget at scale, DeepSeek V4-Pro is the value pick.

DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek) and GLM 5.1 (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 5.1 is an open-weight (MIT) Chinese coding model built for long-horizon agentic engineering, topping SWE-Bench Pro at launch while running autonomously for up to 8 hours. 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 5.1
ProviderDeepSeek (China) Z.ai (China)
ReleasedApril 24, 2026 April 7, 2026
Context window1M (~1,500 pages) 200K (~300 pages)
Price (in/out)$0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens $1.4/$4.4 per 1M tokens
Open weight?Yes — self-hostable Yes — self-hostable
Modalitiestext, code text, code
SWE-Bench VerifiedNot published Not published
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 5.1'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.

Long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs)

GLM 5.1

GLM 5.1 lists long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs) among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

State-of-the-art open-weight coding (topped SWE-Bench Pro at launch)

GLM 5.1

DeepSeek V4-Pro is comparatively weak here — independent SWE-Bench Verified placement is inconsistent across sources

Sustained tool use across thousands of calls

GLM 5.1

GLM 5.1 lists sustained tool use across thousands of calls 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 5.1'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 5.1, 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 long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs)

GLM 5.1

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 5.1: where it fits

An open-weight (MIT) Chinese coding model built for long-horizon agentic engineering, topping SWE-Bench Pro at launch while running autonomously for up to 8 hours. Released April 7, 2026 by Z.ai, it is built for long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs), state-of-the-art open-weight coding (topped SWE-Bench Pro at launch), sustained tool use across thousands of calls, and self-hostable under a permissive MIT license.

Its trade-offs: text-only, with no image, audio, or video input, and 754B-parameter MoE demands heavy GPU resources to self-host. At $1.4 in / $4.4 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.

The bottom line for this matchup

DeepSeek V4-Pro and GLM 5.1 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 5.1 for long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs). Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.

Want both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GLM 5.1 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 5.1 better for coding?

Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, 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 5.1 leans toward long-horizon autonomous agentic engineering (up to 8-hour runs), and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GLM 5.1?

DeepSeek V4-Pro is cheaper — $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $1.4/$4.4 per 1M tokens, roughly 3.2× 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 5.1 together?

Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, GLM 5.1 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 5.1?

DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 17 days after GLM 5.1.

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.