LLM Reference

DeepSeek V3 vs GPT-4o Mini (07-18)

DeepSeek V3 (2024) and GPT-4o Mini (07-18) (2024) are compact production models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek V3 ships a 64k-token context window, while GPT-4o Mini (07-18) ships a 128k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, DeepSeek V3 leads by 44.8 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V3 costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.15/1M 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 is ~50% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for GPT-4o Mini (07-18) only for coding workflow support.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalDeepSeek V3GPT-4o Mini (07-18)
Best fortool-calling agents and provider-routed productionmultimodal apps and provider-routed production
Decision fitCoding, Agents, and ClassificationCoding, RAG, and Agents
Context window64k128k
Cheapest output$0.30/1M tokens$0.60/1M tokens
Provider routes13 tracked3 tracked
Shared benchmarksAider Polyglot leader2 shared

Decision tradeoffs

Choose DeepSeek V3 when...
  • DeepSeek V3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 44.8 points.
  • DeepSeek V3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
  • DeepSeek V3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
  • DeepSeek V3 uniquely exposes JSON / Tool use in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3 for Coding, Agents, and Classification.
Choose GPT-4o Mini (07-18) when...
  • GPT-4o Mini (07-18) has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
  • GPT-4o Mini (07-18) uniquely exposes Vision and Code execution in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags GPT-4o Mini (07-18) 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.

Lower estimate DeepSeek V3

DeepSeek V3

$155

Cheapest tracked route/tier: Bitdeer AI

GPT-4o Mini (07-18)

$270

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API

Estimated monthly gap: $115. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

DeepSeek V3 -> GPT-4o Mini (07-18)
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Replicate API; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • GPT-4o Mini (07-18) is $0.30/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • Check replacement coverage for JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
  • GPT-4o Mini (07-18) adds Vision and Code execution in local capability data.
GPT-4o Mini (07-18) -> DeepSeek V3
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Replicate API; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • DeepSeek V3 is $0.30/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Check replacement coverage for Vision and Code execution before moving production traffic.
  • DeepSeek V3 adds JSON / Tool use in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2024-12-262024-07-18
Context window64k128k
Parameters671B—
ArchitectureMixture of ExpertsDecoder Only
LicenseMITOSI-approvedProprietary
OpennessOpen sourceProprietary
WeightsAvailableNot released
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: permittedCommercial use: conditional
Knowledge cutoff2024-042023-10

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeDeepSeek V3GPT-4o Mini (07-18)
Input price$0.10/1M tokens$0.15/1M tokens
Output price$0.30/1M tokens$0.60/1M tokens
Providers

Capabilities

CapabilityDeepSeek V3GPT-4o Mini (07-18)
VisionNoYes
MultimodalNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
JSON / Tool useYesNo
Structured outputsYesYes
Code executionNoYes
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-4o Mini (07-18)
Aider Polyglot48.43.6
BigCodeBench50.046.1

Continue comparing

Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.