ChatGPT vs DeepSeek — API Pricing Comparison
Compare all OpenAI and DeepSeek models side by side. DeepSeek V4 Pro is 65-91% cheaper than GPT-5, with 4x larger context window.
Pricing data verified: May 14, 2026
All Models Compared
Every OpenAI and DeepSeek model, ranked by input price.
| Model | Provider | Tier | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-oss 20B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.08 | $0.35 | 128K |
| GPT-4o mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| GPT-oss 120B | OpenAI | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | 128K |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.14 | $0.28 | 1M |
| GPT-5 mini | OpenAI | Budget | $0.25 | $2.00 | 272K |
| DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.27 | $1.10 | 128K |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek | Budget | $0.44 | $0.87 | 1M |
| GPT-5.3 Codex | OpenAI | Mid | $1.75 | $14.00 | 400K |
| GPT-4o | OpenAI | Mid | $2.50 | $10.00 | 128K |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI | Premium | $1.25 | $10.00 | 272K |
| GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | Premium | $5.00 | $30.00 | 1M |
| GPT-5.5 Pro | OpenAI | Premium | $30.00 | $180.00 | 1M |
Calculate Your Exact Costs
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Which Should You Choose?
Chatbot / Customer Support
High volume, short responses. Cost per message matters most. Budget models handle most customer queries well.
Code Generation
Complex reasoning, longer outputs. Quality and accuracy matter. Both providers excel here.
Long Document Analysis
Processing large documents, legal contracts, or codebases. Context window is critical.
High-Volume Data Processing
Classification, extraction, summarization at scale. Budget is tight, volume is high.
Enterprise / OpenAI Ecosystem
Using Azure OpenAI, need OpenAI's enterprise features, or specific GPT capabilities.
Startup MVP / Side Project
Minimize costs while building. Need reliable API at the lowest price point.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek cheaper than ChatGPT for API usage?
Yes, DeepSeek is dramatically cheaper than OpenAI's premium models. DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87 per 1M tokens) is 65% cheaper on input and 91% cheaper on output than GPT-5 ($1.25/$10.00). DeepSeek V4 Flash ($0.14/$0.28) is also cheaper than GPT-5 mini ($0.25/$2.00). However, GPT-4o mini ($0.15/$0.60) and GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) are competitive with DeepSeek on price.
What is the cheapest ChatGPT model vs the cheapest DeepSeek model?
GPT-oss 20B at $0.08/$0.35 per 1M tokens is the cheapest OpenAI model. DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.14/$0.28 is DeepSeek's cheapest. GPT-oss 20B is 43% cheaper on input but 25% more expensive on output. At 10M tokens/month, GPT-oss 20B costs $0.80+$3.50=$4.30 vs DeepSeek V4 Flash's $1.40+$2.80=$4.20 — nearly identical.
Does DeepSeek have the same context window as ChatGPT?
DeepSeek offers larger context windows on budget models. DeepSeek V4 Pro and V4 Flash both support 1M tokens. GPT-5 only supports 272K tokens, and GPT-5 mini also 272K. GPT-4o supports 128K. For long-document workloads, DeepSeek has a significant advantage with 1M context at budget prices.
GPT-5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: which should I choose?
DeepSeek V4 Pro is 65% cheaper on input ($0.44 vs $1.25) and 91% cheaper on output ($0.87 vs $10.00), with nearly 4x larger context window (1M vs 272K). Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro for cost-sensitive workloads, high-volume processing, and startups. Choose GPT-5 when you need OpenAI's ecosystem, specific GPT capabilities, or enterprise compliance.
Is DeepSeek as good as GPT-5 for code generation?
DeepSeek V4 Pro performs competitively on coding benchmarks at a fraction of the cost. For most code generation tasks, DeepSeek delivers comparable quality. GPT-5 may have an edge on complex reasoning tasks. The best approach: start with DeepSeek V4 Pro for cost savings, and use GPT-5 only for tasks where quality differences matter.