OpenAI vs DeepSeek — API Pricing Comparison
Compare OpenAI GPT and DeepSeek models side by side. DeepSeek dominates on price — V4 Flash ($0.14/M) is 9x cheaper than GPT-5 mini ($0.25/M), with 8x more context. OpenAI offers more model variety and premium reasoning options.
Pricing data verified: May 29, 2026
All Models Compared
Every OpenAI GPT and DeepSeek model, ranked by input price.
| Model | Provider | Tier | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-oss 20B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.08 | $0.35 | 128K |
| GPT-oss 120B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.14 | $0.28 | 1M |
| GPT-5 mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.25 | $2.00 | 272K |
| DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.27 | $1.10 | 128K |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.44 | $0.87 | 1M |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | Premium | $1.25 | $10.00 | 272K |
| GPT-5.3 Codex | OpenAI | Mid | $1.75 | $14.00 | 400K |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | Mid | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K |
| GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | Premium | $5.00 | $30.00 | 1M |
| GPT-5.5 Pro | OpenAI | Premium | $30.00 | $180.00 | 1M |
Calculate Your Exact Costs
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Which Should You Choose?
Chatbot / Customer Support
High volume, short responses. Cost per message matters most. DeepSeek's budget models dominate for high-volume use cases.
Code Generation
Complex reasoning, longer outputs. Both providers offer strong code models at different price points.
Long Document Analysis
Processing large documents, legal contracts, or codebases. Context window and cost per token are critical.
Startup MVP / Side Project
Minimize costs while building. Need reliable API at the lowest price. Both have budget options.
Enterprise / Premium Quality
Need the absolute best reasoning quality, enterprise SLAs, and widest model selection. Cost is secondary to performance.
Multi-Model Pipeline
Route different tasks to different models. Need variety in tiers for cost optimization. OpenAI offers more granularity.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenAI or DeepSeek cheaper for API usage?
DeepSeek is dramatically cheaper at every comparable tier. DeepSeek V4 Flash ($0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens) is 44% cheaper on input than GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2.00) — OpenAI's cheapest current-gen model. DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87) with 1M context is 65% cheaper than GPT-5 ($1.25/$10.00) with only 272K context. OpenAI's only price advantage is GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35), but that's a smaller open-source model with 128K context.
What is the cheapest DeepSeek model?
DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14 input / $0.28 output per 1M tokens is DeepSeek's cheapest model. It offers 1M context — 8x more than most OpenAI budget models (128K). For comparison, OpenAI's cheapest model is GPT-oss 20B at $0.08/$0.35, but it only has 128K context. If you need long context on a budget, DeepSeek V4 Flash is the clear winner.
Does DeepSeek have larger context windows than OpenAI?
Yes. DeepSeek V4 Pro and V4 Flash both support 1M tokens — matching OpenAI's GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.5 Pro. However, DeepSeek offers 1M context at budget prices ($0.44 and $0.14 per 1M tokens), while OpenAI charges $5-$30 per 1M input for 1M context models. For long-document processing at scale, DeepSeek is 10-60x cheaper for the same context window.
When should I use OpenAI over DeepSeek?
Choose OpenAI when you need: (1) Premium reasoning quality — GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.5 Pro are top-tier for complex tasks, (2) Code-specific models — GPT-5.3 Codex is optimized for code generation, (3) Enterprise support and SLAs, (4) The widest model variety (9 models from budget to premium). Choose DeepSeek when: cost is the priority, you need long context on a budget, or you're building high-volume applications where per-token cost matters most.
Is DeepSeek as good as GPT-5 for coding?
DeepSeek V4 Pro is competitive with GPT-5 for most coding tasks at 65% lower cost ($0.44 vs $1.25 per 1M input). It also has 1M context vs GPT-5's 272K, letting you feed entire codebases. For specialized code tasks, GPT-5.3 Codex ($1.75/$14) may outperform both, but at 4x the cost of DeepSeek V4 Pro. For budget-conscious code generation, DeepSeek V4 Pro is the best value.