DeepSeek V3.1 vs Grok-3
DeepSeek V3.1 (2025) and Grok-3 (2025) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and xAI. DeepSeek V3.1 ships a 64k-token context window, while Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V3.1 leads by 3.4 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V3.1 costs $0.27/1M input tokens versus $0.80/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
DeepSeek V3.1 is ~196% cheaper at $0.27/1M; pay for Grok-3 only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 64k | 131k |
| Cheapest output | $1/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 1 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V3.1 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 3.4 points.
- DeepSeek V3.1 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1/1M tokens.
- DeepSeek V3.1 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- DeepSeek V3.1 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3.1 for Coding, Agents, and Vision.
- Grok-3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok-3 uniquely exposes Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek V3.1
$466
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Novita AI
Grok-3
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Estimated monthly gap: $774. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $1.40/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Grok-3 adds Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V3.1 is $1.40/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
- DeepSeek V3.1 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-08-21 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 64k | 131k |
| Parameters | 671B total, 37B active (MoE) | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | - |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Weights | Unknown | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.27/1M tokens | $0.80/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 83.3 | 79.9 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.