LLM Reference

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Phi-3 Mini 4k

DeepSeek V4 Pro (2026) and Phi-3 Mini 4k (2024) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and Microsoft Research. DeepSeek V4 Pro ships a 1m-token context window, while Phi-3 Mini 4k ships a 4k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V4 Pro leads by 41.8 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.

Phi-3 Mini 4k is ~770% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for DeepSeek V4 Pro only for reasoning depth.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalDeepSeek V4 ProPhi-3 Mini 4k
Best forreasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysisprovider-routed production
Decision fitCoding, RAG, and AgentsCoding and Classification
Context window1m4k
Cheapest output$0.87/1M tokens$0.25/1M tokens
Provider routes5 tracked4 tracked
Shared benchmarksMMLU PRO leader4 shared

Decision tradeoffs

Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro when...
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 41.8 points.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro uniquely exposes Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags DeepSeek V4 Pro for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Choose Phi-3 Mini 4k when...
  • Phi-3 Mini 4k has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.25/1M tokens.
  • Local decision data tags Phi-3 Mini 4k for Coding and Classification.

Monthly cost at traffic

Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.

Lower estimate Phi-3 Mini 4k

DeepSeek V4 Pro

$566

Cheapest tracked route/tier: DeepSeek Platform

Phi-3 Mini 4k

$103

Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API

Estimated monthly gap: $463. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

DeepSeek V4 Pro -> Phi-3 Mini 4k
  • No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for DeepSeek V4 Pro and Phi-3 Mini 4k; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
  • Phi-3 Mini 4k is $0.62/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Phi-3 Mini 4k -> DeepSeek V4 Pro
  • No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-3 Mini 4k and DeepSeek V4 Pro; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro is $0.62/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro adds Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2026-04-242024-04-23
Context window1m4k
Parameters1.6T3.8B
ArchitectureMixture of ExpertsDecoder Only
LicenseMITOSI-approvedMITOSI-approved
OpennessOpen sourceOpen source
WeightsAvailableUnknown
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: permittedCommercial use: permitted
Knowledge cutoff-2023-10

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeDeepSeek V4 ProPhi-3 Mini 4k
Input price$0.43/1M tokens$0.05/1M tokens
Output price$0.87/1M tokens$0.25/1M tokens
Providers

Capabilities

CapabilityDeepSeek V4 ProPhi-3 Mini 4k
VisionNoNo
MultimodalNoNo
ReasoningYesNo
JSON / Tool useYesNo
Structured outputsYesNo
Code executionNoNo
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkDeepSeek V4 ProPhi-3 Mini 4k
MMLU PRO87.545.7
Google-Proof Q&A90.140.9
HumanEval76.859.8
Massive Multitask Language Understanding90.168.2

Continue comparing

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