DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
At a Glance
| Compare |  DeepSeek V3DeepSeek | DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort | #28 of 4655.3 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 36.9–70.2 |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort | #10 of 44$0.054 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort | #12 of 3858.4 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 49.2–65.9 |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.2574Openrouter ↗ · Aug 29, 2026 | $0.66DeepSeek ↗ · Sep 2, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.89Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $1.5441Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 164K | 1,049K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek-V3 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,332.3992% of row best · rating · deepseek-v3; 95% CI [1327.66209525, 1337.12686082]; votes 21770; rank 209 | 1,450.63100% of row best · rating · deepseek-v4-pro; 95% CI [1446.64622706, 1454.61308427]; votes 54130; rank 43 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above | 0 benchmark winsNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | DeepSeek-V3 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | DeepSeek | DeepSeek |
| Family | Deepseek V3 | Deepseek V4 Pro |
| Model | DeepSeek-V3 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
| Version | DeepSeek-V3 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2026-04-24 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 164K | 1,049K |
| Total parameters | 684.5B | 1.6T |
| Active parameters | 37B | 49B |
| License | Unknown | mit |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard) | DeepSeek (Standard), Deepinfra (Standard), Fireworks Ai (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard), Together Ai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation | chat, generation, reasoning |
DeepSeek V3 Capabilities
DeepSeek V4 Pro Capabilities
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|---|---|---|---|
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DeepSeek-V3DeepSeek | vs |  Kimi-K3Moonshot AI | cross-developer peerstext |
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Seed 2.1 ProByteDance Seed | vs | DeepSeek-V3DeepSeek | cross-developer peerstext |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro FAQs
Is DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
DeepSeek V3 is $0.2574 and DeepSeek V4 Pro is $0.66 per million tokens, so DeepSeek V3 is cheaper on this metric. DeepSeek V3 is $0.89 and DeepSeek V4 Pro is $1.5441 per million tokens, so DeepSeek V3 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
DeepSeek V4 Pro has the larger sourced context window. DeepSeek V3 supports 164K and DeepSeek V4 Pro supports 1,049K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: supported. DeepSeek V3 is open weight; DeepSeek V4 Pro is open weight.
Can DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro understand images?+
DeepSeek V3 is not documented with image input; DeepSeek V4 Pro is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. DeepSeek V3 is — and DeepSeek V4 Pro is —.
Do DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro support reasoning and tool use?+
DeepSeek V3: none of these features are definitively sourced. DeepSeek V4 Pro: reasoning. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
DeepSeek V3 has 3 sourced provider routes; DeepSeek V4 Pro has 6, so DeepSeek V4 Pro has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.