Seed 1.8 vs Seed 2.0 Code vs GLM-4.6V
Seed 1.8 comes out ahead, 63 to 59 and 57 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
- Our pick
ByteDance SeedSeed 1.8
63/100- ECI—
- Price$0.119 / $1.19
- Context256K
- ByteDance Seed
Seed 2.0 Code
57/100- ECI—
- Price$0.475 / $2.37
- Context262K
Z.ai (Zhipu)GLM-4.6V
59/100- ECI—
- Price$0.30 / $0.90
- Context128K
Seed 1.8 is our pick
Seed 1.8 is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-4.6V (59) and Seed 2.0 Code (57). It leads on price. Seed 2.0 Code wins on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceSeed 1.8Seed 1.8 $0.386 · GLM-4.6V $0.45 · Seed 2.0 Code $0.95 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextSeed 2.0 CodeSeed 2.0 Code 262,144 · Seed 1.8 256,000 · GLM-4.6V 128,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSeed 2.0 Code and GLM-4.6VSeed 1.8: Text, Images · Seed 2.0 Code: Text, Images, Video · GLM-4.6V: Text, Images, Video
- Self-hostingGLM-4.6VPublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Seed 1.8 | Seed 2.0 Code | GLM-4.6V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 69 | 51 | 66 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 80 | 70 |
| Context window | 20% | 36 | 37 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 63/100 | 57/100 | 59/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Seed 1.8ByteDance Seed | Seed 2.0 CodeByteDance Seed | GLM-4.6VZ.ai (Zhipu) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.119 (best) | $0.475 | $0.30 |
| Output | $1.19 | $2.37 | $0.90 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.024 (best) | $0.095 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.386 (best) | $0.95 | $0.45 |
| Long-context rate | Over 32K: $0.178 / $2.37 | Over 32K: $0.712 / $3.56 | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Volcengine Ark API | Official Volcengine Ark API | Official Z.AI API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 256,000 tokens | 262,144 tokens (best) | 128,000 tokens |
| Max output | 64,000 tokens | 131,072 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max | Yesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | doubao-seed-1-8-251228 | doubao-seed-2-0-code-preview-260215 | glm-4.6v |
| API providers | 2 | 10 (best) | 10 (best) |
| Released | Dec 28, 2025 | Feb 14, 2026 | Dec 8, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — | Apr 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Seed 1.8$3.56
- Seed 2.0 Code$9.50
- GLM-4.6V$4.80
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Seed 1.8, Seed 2.0 Code or GLM-4.6V?
Seed 1.8 is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-4.6V (59) and Seed 2.0 Code (57). It leads on price. Seed 2.0 Code wins on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Seed 1.8, Seed 2.0 Code or GLM-4.6V?
Seed 1.8 is cheaper at $0.119 input / $1.19 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). GLM-4.6V costs $0.30 input / $0.90 output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price); Seed 2.0 Code costs $0.475 input / $2.37 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.386 per million tokens for Seed 1.8 versus $0.45 for GLM-4.6V (1.2× as much) and $0.95 for Seed 2.0 Code (2.5× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Seed 1.8 has not been scored yet, Seed 2.0 Code has not been scored yet and GLM-4.6V has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Seed 1.8, Seed 2.0 Code and GLM-4.6V yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. All three support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Seed 2.0 Code has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 256,000 for Seed 1.8 and 128,000 for GLM-4.6V. Maximum output per response: Seed 1.8 up to 64,000, Seed 2.0 Code up to 131,072, GLM-4.6V up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Seed 1.8 accepts text and images; Seed 2.0 Code accepts text, images and video; GLM-4.6V accepts text, images and video. Seed 2.0 Code handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
GLM-4.6V publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Seed 1.8 and Seed 2.0 Code is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Seed 2.0 Code is the newest, released Feb 14, 2026. Seed 1.8 came out Dec 28, 2025; GLM-4.6V came out Dec 8, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GLM-4.6V Apr 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
