Free to start

DeepSeek: R1 0528 vs Z.ai: GLM 5

Try both on us. Starter credit covers your first requests, then one key routes R1 0528 and GLM 5. Switch by changing the model name.

Compare routesProviders, price, context, and policy posture in one view.

Use auto when uptime mattersKeep a primary model and let fallback handle provider failures.

Same API shapeUse the OpenAI client and set the model you want.

Practical read

Monthly evidence

R1 0528 has the lower published input-plus-output rate. Z.ai: GLM 5 has more Credits provider routes and the larger context window. There is not enough recent probe data to compare speed.

$2.79575/1MDeepSeek: R1 0528 cheapest route

$3.6925/1MZ.ai: GLM 5 cheapest route

not enough dataDeepSeek: R1 0528 fastest measured p50 TTFT

not enough dataZ.ai: GLM 5 fastest measured p50 TTFT

The price comparison adds each route's rate for one million input tokens and one million output tokens; your cost depends on your input/output mix. Prices and live route measurements can change. Use the monthly reports when you need a stable evidence window, then run a small task-specific eval before choosing a production default.

DeepSeek: R1 0528Z.ai: GLM 5

Model iddeepseek/deepseek-r1-0528z-ai/glm-5

Publisher DeepSeek Z.AI

AI IQ — IQ 107#87

Context163,840 tokens202,752 tokens

Credits provider routes38

Cheapest route$2.79575/1M$3.6925/1M

Cached input$0.276235/1M to $0.36925/1M$0.20045/1M to $0.45365/1M

Privacy postureprovider posture varieshas ZDR route

Fastest measured p50 TTFTnot enough datanot enough data

Highest measured throughputnot enough datanot enough data

Recent route uptime rangenot enough datanot enough data

Modes chat chat

DeepSeek: R1 0528 routes

Overview3 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
ProvidersAll serving providers

Z.ai: GLM 5 routes

Overview8 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
BenchmarksTrustedRouter and external sources
ProvidersAll serving providers

Related comparisons

Browse every comparison

Z.ai: GLM 5 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.341 combined provider routes
Z.ai: GLM 5 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.240 combined provider routes
Z.ai: GLM 5 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash40 combined provider routes
DeepSeek: R1 0528 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.336 combined provider routes
MoonshotAI: Kimi K3 vs Z.ai: GLM 536 combined provider routes
DeepSeek: R1 0528 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.235 combined provider routes
DeepSeek: R1 0528 vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash35 combined provider routes
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 vs Z.ai: GLM 534 combined provider routes

Production choice

Pick a default model. Keep fallback enabled.

TrustedRouter is useful when you know the model you want, but still need provider rollover, budget limits, usage records, and a prompt path you can verify.

OpenAI clientPython

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api-azure.trustedrouter.com/v1",
    api_key="sk-tr-v1-..."
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528",
    messages=messages,
)

Questions

Which should I use, DeepSeek: R1 0528 or Z.ai: GLM 5?

R1 0528 has the lower published input-plus-output rate. Z.ai: GLM 5 has more Credits provider routes and the larger context window. There is not enough recent probe data to compare speed.

Is DeepSeek: R1 0528 or Z.ai: GLM 5 cheaper?

The current cheapest TrustedRouter route is $2.79575/1M for DeepSeek: R1 0528 and $3.6925/1M for Z.ai: GLM 5. The comparison uses current catalog prices and updates as provider pricing changes.

Is DeepSeek: R1 0528 or Z.ai: GLM 5 faster?

Current measured p50 time to first token is not enough data for DeepSeek: R1 0528 and not enough data for Z.ai: GLM 5. These are routed probe measurements, not vendor-advertised speeds, and update as new samples arrive.

Can I test DeepSeek: R1 0528 and Z.ai: GLM 5 with the same API?

Yes. Use the same OpenAI-compatible TrustedRouter base URL and API key, then change only the model id between deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528 and z-ai/glm-5. This makes side-by-side evals possible without maintaining two provider integrations.