DeepSeek V3 vs Llama 3.1 405B
DeepSeek V3 (2024) and Llama 3.1 405B (2024) are compact production models from DeepSeek and AI at Meta. DeepSeek V3 ships a 64k-token context window, while Llama 3.1 405B ships a 128k-token context window. On HumanEval, Llama 3.1 405B leads by 3.5 pts. 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 safer overall; choose Llama 3.1 405B when long-context analysis matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3 | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents and provider-routed production | general production evaluation |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Classification | Coding, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | 64k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 13 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 5 shared | HumanEval leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Chatbot Arena, ahead by 74 points.
- DeepSeek V3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- DeepSeek V3 uniquely exposes JSON / Tool use and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3 for Coding, Agents, and Classification.
- Llama 3.1 405B holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 3.5 points.
- Llama 3.1 405B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3.1 405B for Coding, Long context, and Classification.
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
Llama 3.1 405B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for DeepSeek V3 and Llama 3.1 405B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for JSON / Tool use and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 3.1 405B and DeepSeek V3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- DeepSeek V3 adds JSON / Tool use and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2024-07-23 |
| Context window | 64k | 128k |
| Parameters | 671B | 405B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Decoder Only |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Weights | Available | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| HumanEval | 85.5 | 89.0 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1302.0 | 1228.0 |
| Mostly Basic Programming Problems+ | 76.0 | 77.5 |
| HellaSwag | 95.7 | 95.8 |
| Massive Multitask Language Understanding | 88.5 | 88.6 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-10-08. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.