DeepSeek vs OpenAI: Token Pricing, Speed & Intelligence

Full comparison of DeepSeek and OpenAI — live token pricing, latency, throughput, context window, strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases. Rates sourced from public APIs — verify before use.

DeepSeek

DeepSeek V4 Pro and V4.1-Flash — 1M context, open-weight, peak/off-peak pricing

DeepSeek's September 2026 API offers two models: DeepSeek V4 Pro (deepseek-v4-pro-0813, frontier) and DeepSeek V4.1-Flash (deepseek-flash, efficient). Peak hours (01:00–10:00 UTC weekdays) are 2× the off-peak rate. Both models support 1M token context, JSON output, tool calls, and the Anthropic API format.

Cost-efficiencyReasoningCodingOpen-sourceSelf-hostingLong-context

Proprietary models

OpenAI

GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna — plus image, voice, and realtime APIs

OpenAI's September 2026 API lineup spans GPT-6 Astra (flagship frontier), GPT-5.6 Sol (promotional), GPT-5.6 Terra (balanced), and GPT-5.6 Luna (everyday). Beyond text, the platform includes GPT-Image-2.5 (Sunburst and Flare), GPT-Live-1 voice, GPT-Realtime-2.1 for low-latency voice agents, and transcription/translation models. Batch API saves 50% on all models. Check the live table for current per-token rates.

CodingChatVisionReasoningAgentsVoiceImage generation

Proprietary models

Key metric comparison

Cheapest input ($/1M)

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Cheapest output ($/1M)

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Peak throughput

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Best latency (TTFT)

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Intelligence score

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Context window

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Live token pricing

Strengths and weaknesses

DeepSeek

V4 Pro off-peak: competitive per-1M pricing — frontier intelligence at a fraction of Western provider cost

V4.1-Flash off-peak: fast and cost-efficient — cheapest DeepSeek model tier

Both models open-weight — can be self-hosted

Peak/off-peak pricing: off-peak is 50% cheaper than peak

1M token context window on both models

Supports OpenAI and Anthropic API formats

Data residency in China — may not meet GDPR/compliance requirements

API reliability can lag Western providers during peak demand

V4.1-Flash does not support vision inputs

OpenAI

Wide API surface: text, image, voice, realtime, transcription, translation, web search, code execution

GPT-6 Astra at the frontier; GPT-5.6 Sol at promotional pricing

Prompt caching on all major models (10% of input price)

Batch API: 50% off all models for async workloads

Wide ecosystem — virtually every AI framework supports OpenAI natively

No open-weight models — full vendor lock-in

GPT-6 Astra output pricing is among the highest for frontier tier — check live table

Rate limits can be restrictive on lower tiers

Key differentiators

DeepSeek

DeepSeek V4 Pro delivers frontier-class intelligence at competitive off-peak rates — open-weight, 1M context, and compatible with both OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs.

OpenAI

A broad AI API platform — GPT-6 Astra to GPT-5.6 Luna covering multiple capability tiers, plus native image, voice, realtime, and transcription APIs under one key.

Frequently asked questions

DeepSeek FAQs

What are the latest DeepSeek models?

DeepSeek's September 2026 API offers DeepSeek V4 Pro (deepseek-v4-pro-0813) and DeepSeek V4.1-Flash (deepseek-flash). Both support 1M token context windows, JSON output, tool calls, and the Anthropic API format.

What is DeepSeek V4 Pro pricing?

DeepSeek V4 Pro uses peak/off-peak pricing — off-peak rates apply on weekends and Chinese public holidays; peak hours (01:00–10:00 UTC weekdays) are 2× the off-peak rate. Cache hits are billed at a reduced rate. Check api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing for current rates.

What is DeepSeek V4.1-Flash pricing?

DeepSeek V4.1-Flash uses the same peak/off-peak structure as V4 Pro, with off-peak rates significantly cheaper than peak. It also supports vision inputs. Check api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing for current rates.

OpenAI FAQs

What are the latest OpenAI models as of 2026?

OpenAI's current lineup includes GPT-6 Astra (flagship frontier), GPT-5.6 Sol (promotional), GPT-5.6 Terra (balanced), and GPT-5.6 Luna (everyday). The o-series reasoning models remain available for complex multi-step tasks. Check the live table or platform.openai.com/docs/pricing for current rates.

How much does the OpenAI API cost?

OpenAI uses tiered per-token pricing across its model lineup. The Batch API cuts all prices by 50% for async workloads, and prompt caching reduces input costs by 50% on eligible requests. Check platform.openai.com/docs/pricing for current rates.

Does OpenAI support prompt caching?

Yes. Prompt caching is available on GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, and other major models. Cached input tokens are billed at 50% of the standard input price, making long-context and repeated-system-prompt workloads significantly cheaper.

Provider resources

DeepSeek

Provider page

Website

Pricing Docs

OpenAI

Provider page

Website

Pricing Docs

DeepSeek — DeepSeek V4 Pro and V4.1-Flash — 1M context, open-weight, peak/off-peak pricing

DeepSeek V4 Pro delivers frontier-class intelligence at competitive off-peak rates — open-weight, 1M context, and compatible with both OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs.

OpenAI — GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna — plus image, voice, and realtime APIs

A broad AI API platform — GPT-6 Astra to GPT-5.6 Luna covering multiple capability tiers, plus native image, voice, realtime, and transcription APIs under one key.

Key strengths compared

DeepSeek

V4 Pro off-peak: competitive per-1M pricing — frontier intelligence at a fraction of Western provider cost
V4.1-Flash off-peak: fast and cost-efficient — cheapest DeepSeek model tier
Both models open-weight — can be self-hosted

Data residency in China — may not meet GDPR/compliance requirements
API reliability can lag Western providers during peak demand

OpenAI

Wide API surface: text, image, voice, realtime, transcription, translation, web search, code execution
GPT-6 Astra at the frontier; GPT-5.6 Sol at promotional pricing
Prompt caching on all major models (10% of input price)

No open-weight models — full vendor lock-in
GPT-6 Astra output pricing is among the highest for frontier tier — check live table

Key weaknesses compared

DeepSeek

Data residency in China — may not meet GDPR/compliance requirements
API reliability can lag Western providers during peak demand
V4.1-Flash does not support vision inputs

OpenAI

No open-weight models — full vendor lock-in
GPT-6 Astra output pricing is among the highest for frontier tier — check live table
Rate limits can be restrictive on lower tiers

Provider category context

DeepSeek is a frontier lab, founded in 2023. OpenAI is a frontier lab, founded in 2015. Both are frontier lab providers — the comparison is primarily about pricing, model selection, and feature differentiation within the same tier.

How to choose between them

Both DeepSeek and OpenAI are frontier labs with proprietary models. Choose based on benchmark performance for your specific task: DeepSeek leads on v4 pro off-peak: competitive per-1m pricing — frontier intelligence at a fraction of western provider cost, while OpenAI leads on wide api surface: text, image, voice, realtime, transcription, translation, web search, code execution. For cost-sensitive workloads, compare the cheapest model tier from each provider in the pricing table above — the gap between efficient-tier models is often larger than between flagship models.