DeepSeek V3.1 vs o3 Mini
DeepSeek V3.1 (2025) and o3 Mini (2025) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek V3.1 ships a 64k-token context window, while o3 Mini ships a 200k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V3.1 leads by 4.2 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V3.1 costs $0.27/1M input tokens versus $1.10/1M 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 ~307% cheaper at $0.27/1M; pay for o3 Mini only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 64k | 200k |
| Cheapest output | $1/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 2 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V3.1 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 4.2 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 Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3.1 for Coding, Agents, and Vision.
- o3 Mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o3 Mini uniquely exposes Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 Mini 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
o3 Mini
$1,980
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,514. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o3 Mini is $3.40/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- o3 Mini adds Reasoning and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V3.1 is $3.40/1M 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 Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-08-21 | 2025-01-31 |
| Context window | 64k | 200k |
| Parameters | 671B total, 37B active (MoE) | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Decoder Only |
| 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 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.27/1M tokens | $1.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1/1M tokens | $4.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3.1 | o3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 83.3 | 79.1 |
| SWE-bench Verified | 66.0 | 49.3 |
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.