Dev.to
7/8/2026
Hands-on comparison: DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM across coding, reasoning, and language tasks
Original: Stop Guessing: I Tested 4 Chinese AI Models So You Don't Have To
Short summary
The author tested four Chinese AI model families—DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM—across coding, reasoning, creative writing, and Mandarin tasks, finding exceptional value in DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.25/M tokens rivaling GPT-4o at 40x the cost. Qwen stands out for model variety and multimodal capabilities (vision, audio, video), while Kimi excels at deep reasoning despite premium pricing. All four are OpenAI API-compatible, making them drop-in alternatives for developers seeking lower-cost inference.
- •DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.25/M tokens rivals GPT-4o quality at 40x lower cost, with top-tier coding and speed
- •Qwen offers the widest model variety from $0.01/M to $3.20/M including vision and omni-modal options
- •All four families (DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, GLM) are OpenAI API-compatible and accessible via unified endpoints
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
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