I Ran GLM-4 Plus and DeepSeek V4 for 30 Days. Here's What I Found

A user conducted a thirty-day evaluation of GLM-4 Plus and DeepSeek V4 to find cost-effective alternatives to expensive closed-source APIs. After experiencing high per-token costs from a specific walled garden provider, the tester spent three weeks comparing DeepSeek V4 and V4 Flash side by side. This investigation focused on reducing monthly LLM bills while leveraging tools aligned with Apache and MIT licensed standards to ensure sustainable scaling and better financial management for their operations.