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Claude vs DeepSeek API pricing, compared model by model
On 25 September 2026 the cheapest Claude model costs $0.25 per million input tokens against $0.0482 for the cheapest DeepSeek model, and the typical DeepSeek model is the cheaper of the two.
| Claude (Anthropic) | DeepSeek (DeepSeek) | |
|---|---|---|
| Models listed | 15 | 15 |
| Cheapest model | Claude 3 Haiku, $0.25 in, $1.25 out | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423, $0.0482 in, $0.0963 out |
| Most expensive model | Claude Opus 4.1, $15.00 in, $75.00 out | R1, $0.70 in, $2.50 out |
| Median input price | $5.00 | $0.27 |
| Median output price | $25.00 | $0.89 |
| Largest context | 1M, Claude Opus 5.5 | 1.31072M, DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 |
| Newest model | Claude Opus 5.5, 2026-09-22 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, 2026-09-10 |
| Models with a batch price | 13 | 1 |
Every model, with your monthly cost
| Model | Provider | Input | Output | Cached input | Batch in / out | Context | Your month | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $4.00 | $20.00 | $0.20 | $2.00 / $10.00 | 1M | $540.00 | 2026-09-22 |
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | DeepSeek | $0.075 | $0.30 | $0.0015 | $0.112 / $0.336 | 1.04858M | $9.00 | 2026-09-10 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Anthropic | $10.00 | $50.00 | $0.25 | $5.00 / $25.00 | 1M | $1,350.00 | 2026-09-01 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | DeepSeek | $0.22 | $0.66 | $0.007 | 1.04858M | $23.10 | 2026-08-21 | |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 | DeepSeek | $0.3458 | $1.04 | $0.0115 | 1.04858M | $36.31 | 2026-08-12 | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | DeepSeek | $0.03 | $0.32 | $0.016 | 1.31072M | $6.60 | 2026-07-31 | |
| Claude Opus 5 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $2.50 / $12.50 | 1M | $675.00 | 2026-07-24 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | $2.00 | $10.00 | $0.20 | $1.00 / $5.00 | 1M | $270.00 | 2026-06-30 |
| Claude Fable 5 | Anthropic | $10.00 | $50.00 | $1.00 | $5.00 / $25.00 | 1M | $1,350.00 | 2026-06-09 |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $2.50 / $12.50 | 1M | $675.00 | 2026-05-27 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423 | DeepSeek | $0.7129 | $1.43 | $0.0594 | 1.04858M | $64.16 | 2026-04-24 | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | DeepSeek | $0.0482 | $0.0963 | $0.0096 | 1.04858M | $4.33 | 2026-04-24 | |
| Claude Opus 4.7 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $2.50 / $12.50 | 1M | $675.00 | 2026-04-16 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | $1.50 / $7.50 | 1M | $405.00 | 2026-02-17 |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $2.50 / $12.50 | 1M | $675.00 | 2026-02-04 |
| DeepSeek V3.2 retiring 2026-09-28 | DeepSeek | $0.269 | $0.40 | $0.1345 | 164K | $22.14 | 2025-12-01 | |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Anthropic | $5.00 | $25.00 | $0.50 | $2.50 / $12.50 | 200K | $675.00 | 2025-11-24 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1.00 | $5.00 | $0.10 | $0.50 / $2.50 | 200K | $135.00 | 2025-10-15 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | $1.50 / $7.50 | 1M | $405.00 | 2025-09-29 |
| DeepSeek V3.2 Exp retiring 2026-09-28 | DeepSeek | $0.27 | $0.41 | 164K | $22.35 | 2025-09-29 | ||
| DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus retiring 2026-09-28 | DeepSeek | $0.27 | $1.00 | $0.135 | 164K | $31.20 | 2025-09-22 | |
| DeepSeek V3.1 | DeepSeek | $0.25 | $0.95 | $0.13 | 164K | $29.25 | 2025-08-21 | |
| Claude Opus 4.1 | Anthropic | $15.00 | $75.00 | $1.50 | $7.50 / $37.50 | 200K | $2,025.00 | 2025-08-05 |
| R1 0528 | DeepSeek | $0.50 | $2.15 | $0.35 | 164K | $62.25 | 2025-05-28 | |
| Claude Sonnet 4 | Anthropic | $3.00 | $15.00 | $0.30 | 200K | $405.00 | 2025-05-22 | |
| DeepSeek V3 0324 | DeepSeek | $0.25 | $1.00 | 164K | $30.00 | 2025-03-24 | ||
| R1 Distill Llama 70B retiring 2026-09-28 | DeepSeek | $0.80 | $0.80 | 8K | $60.00 | 2025-01-23 | ||
| R1 | DeepSeek | $0.70 | $2.50 | 64K | $79.50 | 2025-01-20 | ||
| DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek | $0.32 | $0.89 | 164K | $32.55 | 2024-12-26 | ||
| Claude 3 Haiku | Anthropic | $0.25 | $1.25 | $0.03 | 200K | $33.75 | 2024-03-13 |
All Claude prices . All DeepSeek prices . Every provider
Common questions
Is Claude cheaper than DeepSeek?
On 25 September 2026, the median Claude model on this list costs $5.00 per million input tokens and $25.00 per million output tokens, against $0.27 and $0.89 for DeepSeek. By that measure DeepSeek is cheaper, but compare the specific models you would use, since both providers sell models at very different price points.
What is the cheapest Claude model compared with the cheapest DeepSeek model?
The cheapest Claude model is Claude 3 Haiku at $0.25 in and $1.25 out per million tokens. The cheapest DeepSeek model is DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 at $0.0482 in and $0.0963 out.
Which has the larger context window, Claude or DeepSeek?
The largest Claude context on this list is 1M tokens (Claude Opus 5.5) and the largest DeepSeek context is 1.31072M tokens (DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731).
How should I choose between Claude and DeepSeek for a production agent?
Price per token is one input. Run both on a set of your own real cases, count how often each needs a retry or a human check, and compare the total cost of a correct answer rather than the cost of a token.
Choosing a model for a production agent
Price is one input. Quality on your own cases, latency and the cost of retries decide the rest. Tell me what you are building.