DeepSeek V3 vs Grok 3 Mini
DeepSeek V3 (2024) and Grok 3 Mini (2025) are compact production models from DeepSeek and xAI. DeepSeek V3 ships a 64k-token context window, while Grok 3 Mini ships a 131k-token context window. On pricing, DeepSeek V3 costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.25/1M 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 ~150% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Grok 3 Mini only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3 | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents and provider-routed production | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Classification | RAG, Long context, and Vision |
| Context window | 64k | 131k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $1.27/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 13 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- 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.
- Grok 3 Mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 3 Mini uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 3 Mini for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek V3
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Bitdeer AI
Grok 3 Mini
$518
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Microsoft Foundry
Estimated monthly gap: $363. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 3 Mini is $0.97/1M 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.
- Grok 3 Mini adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V3 is $0.97/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- DeepSeek V3 adds JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 64k | 131k |
| Parameters | 671B | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | - |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Weights | Available | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | 2024-11 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | $0.25/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $1.27/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 | Grok 3 Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.