Zhipu's overseas GLM-5.3-Flash half-price API promotion ends September 9 at 24:00
At 24:00 on September 9, Zhipu's half-price API promotion for GLM-5.3-Flash, anonymously launched on OpenRouter and OpenCode as Ox Alpha, ended. Input pricing returns from $0.075 to $0.15 per 1M tokens.
At 24:00 on September 9, Zhipu's half-price API promotion for GLM-5.3-Flash—previously launched anonymously as Ox Alpha on OpenRouter and OpenCode—officially ended. The model had appeared on OpenRouter under the name Ox Alpha on August 20, drawing developer attention, and Zhipu revealed the identity on August 26 as GLM-5.3-Flash.
After the promotion, non-cache input pricing returns from $0.075 to $0.15 per 1M tokens, and output from $0.25 to $0.50 per 1M tokens. Moving from free trial to discounted paid access and back to regular pricing, this round of Ox Alpha trial moves into a phase that more rigorously tests commercial viability.
GLM-5.3-Flash supports million-token context, handles text, images, and video, and has open model weights. In the first half of 2026, Zhipu's open platform and API business generated ¥825 million in revenue, accounting for 86.5% of total revenue. Aggregator portals like OpenRouter are a key channel for reaching that developer base.