Just a couple of weeks after setting up Claude Code with DeepSeek v3.1 as my primary AI coding assistant, Anthropic announced updated restrictions on September 5th that affected many users in certain regions. While this didn’t impact my personal setup directly, it got me thinking about alternatives—especially since I’d already documented how to integrate DeepSeek with Claude Code for users facing similar restrictions.

That’s when Zhipu AI caught my attention with their “搬家计划” (migration plan), offering special incentives for Claude API users. With promises of 20 million free tokens and competitive subscription pricing, I decided to give GLM-4.5 a serious try.

The Integration: Surprisingly Simple Setup

Contrary to what you might expect from asking GLM-4.5 itself about the integration process (which tends to provide confusing and inaccurate instructions), the actual process is remarkably straightforward. Zhipu AI provides clear documentation that shows it’s essentially the same approach I used for DeepSeek—just set two environment variables.

The Actual Configuration

If you’ve already followed my DeepSeek integration guide, you’ll find this familiar:

# Set your Zhipu AI API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-zhipu-api-key"

# Point to Zhipu's Anthropic-compatible endpoint
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://open.bigmodel.cn/api/anthropic"

# Use GLM-4.5 model
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="glm-4.5"

That’s it. No proxy servers, no complex API translation layers. The integration works seamlessly because Zhipu has implemented proper Anthropic API compatibility, just like DeepSeek did.

The Pricing Advantage: Where GLM-4.5 Really Shines

What makes GLM-4.5 particularly compelling isn’t necessarily its technical superiority, but its incredibly generous pricing structure:

Free Token Bonanza

Zhipu is currently offering 20 million free tokens to new users through their migration plan. That’s enough for extensive testing and regular usage for weeks or even months, depending on your coding habits.

Subscription Pricing

The GLM Coding Lite subscription costs just ￥20/Month (about $3 USD), which includes:

  • 120 prompts every 5 hours
  • Each prompt capable of handling tens of thousands of tokens
  • Essentially unlimited usage for most developers

Compared to DeepSeek’s pay-per-token model (which starts at $0.56 per million input tokens), this subscription model offers predictable costs and potentially significant savings for heavy users.

Hands-On Experience: Reality vs. Marketing

After using GLM-4.5 extensively for both coding and general tasks, I have to be honest: the performance difference between GLM-4.5 and DeepSeek v3.1 isn’t as dramatic as the marketing materials suggest.

Code Quality Assessment

In my testing across various programming languages and frameworks:

  • DeepSeek v3.1: Produces solid, reliable code with good explanations
  • GLM-4.5: Also produces solid, reliable code with good explanations
  • The difference in quality is marginal at best, both models perform exceptionally well.

Token Output Speed

One area where GLM-4.5 does stand out is token generation speed. The model responds noticeably faster than DeepSeek v3.1, which can make for a more fluid coding experience, especially during rapid iteration.

Context Handling

Both models support 128K context windows, and I found their context management to be quite similar. Neither has the massive 1M+ token context of models like Gemini 2.5 Pro, but 128K is more than sufficient for most development tasks.

Comparative Analysis: DeepSeek v3.1 vs. GLM-4.5

Having used both models extensively, here’s my honest assessment:

Performance Comparison

  • Code Quality: Nearly identical for most programming tasks
  • Response Speed: GLM-4.5 is noticeably faster in token generation
  • Cost Structure: GLM-4.5’s subscription model vs. DeepSeek’s pay-per-token

Economic Reality

The pricing difference is where things get interesting. DeepSeek’s pay-per-token model means:

  • You pay only for what you use
  • Costs can be very low for light users
  • But heavy usage can become expensive

GLM-4.5’s subscription model offers:

  • Predictable monthly costs (￥20/Month)
  • Essentially unlimited usage within reasonable bounds
  • Potentially much better value for heavy users

For developers who code regularly, GLM-4.5’s subscription could be tens of times cheaper than using DeepSeek’s API.

My Current Assessment and Future Testing

After this initial testing period, I’m keeping both options in my toolkit:

GLM-4.5 for:

  • Heavy coding sessions where I need rapid responses
  • Situations where predictable monthly costs are preferable

DeepSeek v3.1 for:

  • Light usage days where pay-per-token makes more sense
  • Projects where I already have context and history established
  • Quick one-off tasks

The Verdict (So Far)

GLM-4.5 is an excellent alternative, particularly for users who:

  • Face restrictions with Anthropic’s services
  • Need generous free token offerings
  • Prefer subscription-based pricing
  • Value rapid response times

However, the performance difference from DeepSeek v3.1 isn’t revolutionary. Both models are excellent coding assistants, and the choice largely comes down to pricing preferences and specific use cases rather than dramatic quality differences.

I’ll continue using GLM-4.5 alongside DeepSeek and other tools, and will report back if my assessment changes with more extensive usage. The AI coding assistant space continues to evolve rapidly, and having multiple high-quality options is always beneficial for developers.