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stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview vs Z.ai: GLM 5.3

Try both on us. Starter credit covers your first requests, then one key routes stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview and GLM 5.3. 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

Z.ai: GLM 5.3 has the lower published input-plus-output rate and more Credits provider routes. Their context windows are the same size. There is not enough recent probe data to compare speed.

$3.9035/1Mstepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview cheapest route

$3.458818/1MZ.ai: GLM 5.3 cheapest route

not enough datastepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview fastest measured p50 TTFT

962 msZ.ai: GLM 5.3 fastest measured p50 TTFT via friendli

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.

stepfun-ai/Step-5-PreviewZ.ai: GLM 5.3

Model idstepfun-ai/step-5-previewz-ai/glm-5.3

Publisher StepFun Z.AI

AI IQ — IQ 124#28

Context1,048,576 tokens1,048,576 tokens

Credits provider routes333

Cheapest route$3.9035/1M$3.458818/1M

Cached input$0.05275/1M$0.1055/1M to $0.84189/1M

Privacy postureprovider posture varieshas Confidential route (E2EE + ZDR)

Fastest measured p50 TTFTnot enough data962 ms via friendli

Highest measured throughputnot enough data239 tok/s via makora

Recent route uptime range100.00%85.71% to 100.00%

Modes chat chat

stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview routes

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

Z.ai: GLM 5.3 routes

Overview33 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
ProvidersAll serving providers

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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.trustedrouter.com/v1",
    api_key="sk-tr-v1-..."
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="stepfun-ai/step-5-preview",
    messages=messages,
)

Questions

Which should I use, stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview or Z.ai: GLM 5.3?

Z.ai: GLM 5.3 has the lower published input-plus-output rate and more Credits provider routes. Their context windows are the same size. There is not enough recent probe data to compare speed.

Is stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview or Z.ai: GLM 5.3 cheaper?

The current cheapest TrustedRouter route is $3.9035/1M for stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview and $3.458818/1M for Z.ai: GLM 5.3. The comparison uses current catalog prices and updates as provider pricing changes.

Is stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview or Z.ai: GLM 5.3 faster?

Current measured p50 time to first token is not enough data for stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview and 962 ms for Z.ai: GLM 5.3. These are routed probe measurements, not vendor-advertised speeds, and update as new samples arrive.

Can I test stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview and Z.ai: GLM 5.3 with the same API?

Yes. Use the same OpenAI-compatible TrustedRouter base URL and API key, then change only the model id between stepfun-ai/step-5-preview and z-ai/glm-5.3. This makes side-by-side evals possible without maintaining two provider integrations.