DeepSeek V3.1 vs Grok 4
DeepSeek V3.1 (2026) and Grok 4 (2026) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and xAI. DeepSeek V3.1 ships a 64K-token context window, while Grok 4 ships a 256k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok 4 leads by 3.7 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V3.1 costs $0.56/1M input tokens versus $3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
DeepSeek V3.1 is ~436% cheaper at $0.56/1M; pay for Grok 4 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2026-03-01 | 2026-03-01 |
| Context window | 64K | 256k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.56/1M tokens | $3/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.68/1M tokens | $15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3.1 | Grok 4 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 83.3 | 87.0 |
| SWE-bench Verified | 66.0 | 76.7 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has DeepSeek V3.1 at 83.3 and Grok 4 at 87, with Grok 4 ahead by 3.7 points; SWE-bench Verified has DeepSeek V3.1 at 66 and Grok 4 at 76.7, with Grok 4 ahead by 10.7 points. The largest visible gap is 10.7 points on SWE-bench Verified, 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 differs most on vision: DeepSeek V3.1 and reasoning mode: Grok 4. Both models share multimodal input, structured outputs, and code execution, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, DeepSeek V3.1 lists $0.56/1M input and $1.68/1M output tokens, while Grok 4 lists $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts DeepSeek V3.1 lower by about $5.7 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose DeepSeek V3.1 when coding workflow support, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Grok 4 when coding workflow support and larger context windows 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 V3.1 or Grok 4?
Grok 4 supports 256k tokens, while DeepSeek V3.1 supports 64K 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 V3.1 or Grok 4?
DeepSeek V3.1 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. DeepSeek V3.1 costs $0.56/1M input and $1.68/1M output tokens. Grok 4 costs $3/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is DeepSeek V3.1 or Grok 4 open source?
DeepSeek V3.1 is listed under Open Source. Grok 4 is listed under Proprietary. 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 vision, DeepSeek V3.1 or Grok 4?
DeepSeek V3.1 has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, DeepSeek V3.1 or Grok 4?
Both DeepSeek V3.1 and Grok 4 expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run DeepSeek V3.1 and Grok 4?
DeepSeek V3.1 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, Together AI, and AWS Bedrock. Grok 4 is available on Microsoft Foundry, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.