DeepSeek V3 vs Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B
DeepSeek V3 (2024) and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are compact production models from DeepSeek and Alibaba. DeepSeek V3 ships a 64k-token context window, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B ships a 33K-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B leads by 6.6 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V3 costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.1/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Pick Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B for general evaluation; DeepSeek V3 is better when long-context analysis matters more.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2026-02-01 |
| Context window | 64k | 33K |
| Parameters | 671B | 9B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.3/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 75.9 | 82.5 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has DeepSeek V3 at 75.9 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B at 82.5, with Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B ahead by 6.6 points. The largest visible gap is 6.6 points on MMLU PRO, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint is close: both models cover function calling, tool use, and structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, DeepSeek V3 lists $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B lower by about $0.04 per million blended tokens. Availability is 12 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose DeepSeek V3 when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B when provider fit are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek V3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
DeepSeek V3 supports 64k tokens, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B supports 33K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
DeepSeek V3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. DeepSeek V3 costs $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is DeepSeek V3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B open source?
DeepSeek V3 is listed under Open Source. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B is listed under Open Source. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for function calling, DeepSeek V3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Both DeepSeek V3 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B expose function calling. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for tool use, DeepSeek V3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Both DeepSeek V3 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B expose tool use. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run DeepSeek V3 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
DeepSeek V3 is available on DeepInfra, Fireworks AI, DeepSeek Platform, Microsoft Foundry, and OpenRouter. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.