GLM-5.2 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
Picking a budget open flagship
Two open-source flagships with 1M context, both officially priced within a few dollars per million tokens. With DeepSeek's hike in effect and GLM's unchanged, the math needs redoing.
Key points
GLM-5.2 official API price
Per million tokens input/output. 744B-class MoE with 1M lossless context.
V4 Pro current catalog price
As listed on QCode /models (08-22). Since 08-17 the official pricing is peak/off-peak, cheaper off-peak.
Same-class context
GLM-5.2: 1M lossless; V4 Pro: 1M with 384K max output. Both swallow long repos whole.
V4 Pro's TB 2.1
DeepSeek's official figure (Minimal+max). GLM-5.2 is no longer Zhipu's strongest — that's 5.3.
Where each model stands now
GLM-5.2 (released in June) is Zhipu's previous-generation flagship: MIT open source, 1M lossless context, built for long-horizon tasks — note it's been succeeded by GLM-5.3 (08-14) as the flagship, but 5.2's price is unchanged and supply is steady. DeepSeek V4 Pro (0813 GA) is DeepSeek's current flagship: stronger agentic capability, an official 87.9 on TB 2.1, and peak/off-peak pricing since 08-17.
The price balance has shifted
Before the 08-17 hike, V4 Pro's price advantage was crushing; after it (peak output ¥27 per million), the board reshuffles — off-peak, DeepSeek is still the cheapest, while at peak hours GLM-5.2's flat $1.40/$4.40 is more competitive. The selection advice has changed from 'just take DeepSeek' to 'know your call-time distribution.'
Timeline
GLM-5.2 released and open-sourced (MIT), 1M lossless context.
DeepSeek V4 Pro GA; peak/off-peak repricing announced the same day.
DeepSeek's new prices take effect; GLM-5.3 is out but 5.2's price is untouched.
Confirmed vs watch out
Confirmed
Both models' licenses, context and current prices have official sources; DeepSeek's peak/off-peak windows are in the official announcement. Both have real call volume on QCode.
Watch out
Don't mistake GLM-5.2 for Zhipu's strongest — that's 5.3 (coding +50%). 5.2's value is price and stability. And DeepSeek's '11x hike' is only the cache-hit input item; the main billing items rose far less.
Pick by call window
Off-peak / batch
DeepSeek V4 Pro: at half price off-peak it's the cheapest on the field — the default for nightly batches and evals.
Peak / steady budget
GLM-5.2: no peak swings, a flat $1.40/$4.40. Costs are more predictable for interactive daytime loads.
How to run your own numbers
First profile your call-time distribution: anything that can move to 00:30-08:30 Beijing time and weekends is unbeatable on DeepSeek's off-peak rate; interactive loads that must run at peak are steadier on GLM-5.2's flat pricing. Both are switchable with one key, and time-based routing is the standard play.
On QCode
Both glm-5.2 and deepseek-v4-pro are on sale (with real calls in the last 30 days). QCode's catalog tracks the official peak/off-peak pricing: currently glm-5.2 is listed at $1.40/$4.40 and deepseek-v4-pro at $0.66/$1.98. Route between them by time of day with a single key.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GLM-5.2 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
Depends on the hour: DeepSeek is cheaper off-peak (Beijing early mornings/weekends), while at peak GLM-5.2's flat pricing is more competitive.
Are both open-source?
Yes. GLM-5.2 is MIT-licensed, and V4 Pro's weights are also available on Hugging Face. Both are self-hostable.
Which is more capable?
V4 Pro has the newer agentic capability (official TB 2.1 of 87.9); GLM-5.2 has been overtaken by GLM-5.3 (coding +50%). For Zhipu's best pick 5.3; for cheap and steady pick 5.2.
How big are the context windows?
Both are 1M-token class. V4 Pro's max output is 384K; GLM-5.2's is 131K.
Is DeepSeek still worth it after the hike?
Off-peak it's still the cheapest open flagship. Workloads you can schedule are barely touched by the hike.
How do I route between them on QCode?
Switch model ids by time of day with the same key: deepseek-v4-pro off-peak, glm-5.2 for daytime interactive work.
Sources
Zhipu official (GLM-5.2 release, 06-17), DeepSeek's official repricing announcement (08-13) and V4 Pro GA announcement, QCode /models (scraped 08-22).
Route by the hour — one key, two savings
glm-5.2 and deepseek-v4-pro are both callable on QCode with one key; off-peak switching saves automatically.
Related reading
GLM-5.2 guide
Using the 1M lossless context.
DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813
The GA build's specs and calling.
V4 Pro vs GPT-5.6 Sol
Another open-vs-closed pairing.
Not affiliated with Zhipu / DeepSeek. Prices are a 2026-08-22 snapshot.