Real data comparison
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch)
On quality, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) leads (28.6 vs 27.8). On price, Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) is cheaper ($0.24 vs $0.26 per 1M). In real production usage, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) is used more (rank #2 vs #5 of 404). Across 27 real task categories where both models have classified traffic, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) handles more of the traffic in 25 of them.
- DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch)
- Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch)
Head-to-head by real task
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) leads 25 of 27 shared task categories by real classified traffic share; Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) leads 2. Not a benchmark score - this is what developers actually route to each model for, per OpenRouter's task classification.
| Task | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) |
|---|---|---|
| Security Audit | 55.7% | 6.1% |
| DevOps & Config | 52.4% | 5.8% |
| Code Generation | 39.2% | 5.8% |
| Repo Scanning | 37.6% | 6.9% |
| Shell Execution | 39.5% | 9.9% |
| Frontend & UI | 33.2% | 3.7% |
| Web Search | 35.1% | 5.7% |
| File I/O | 36.7% | 9.5% |
| DevOps | 32.4% | 5.5% |
| Tool Dispatch | 30.0% | 6.7% |
| Debugging | 33.1% | 10.3% |
| Conversation | 26.7% | 4.8% |
| Roleplay & Fiction | 23.8% | 3.7% |
| Research & Reports | 23.7% | 5.8% |
| SQL & Database | 26.3% | 8.8% |
| Memory Extraction | 19.4% | 3.5% |
| Math | 17.4% | 1.8% |
| Code Review | 28.5% | 12.9% |
| Data Transformation | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| Workflow Execution | 30.1% | 15.8% |
| Q&A & Knowledge | 15.1% | 2.9% |
| Content Writing | 16.4% | 4.3% |
| Customer Support | 10.5% | 2.2% |
| Multi-step Planning | 28.9% | 22.1% |
| Finance & Trading | 6.0% | 1.4% |
| Classification | 8.0% | 3.7% |
| Data Extraction | 10.7% | 11.9% |
Usage share over time
- DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch)
- Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch)
Frequently asked questions
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch): which is better quality?
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) scores higher on Artificial Analysis's Intelligence Index (28.6 vs 27.8).
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch): which is cheaper?
Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch) is cheaper at $0.24/1M vs $0.26/1M.
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch): which is used more?
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) has higher real OpenRouter usage share (rank #2 vs #5 of 404).
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3 Flash (batch): which wins more real-world task categories?
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) handles more traffic in 25 of 27 shared task categories where both models have classified OpenRouter usage.
Source: OpenRouter (openrouter.ai/rankings), as of November 7, 2026.
Benchmark scores: Artificial Analysis (artificialanalysis.ai) via OpenRouter (openrouter.ai/rankings).
Methodology: www.smophy.ai/benchmark/methodology
Token counts originate from each provider's own tokenizer and are not directly comparable across providers.