DeepSeek V4-Pro wins on coding (93 vs 87) and writing quality and context window (1M vs 128K). DeepSeek V3 wins on price ($0.27 vs $0.435/1M input). For most workflows, DeepSeek V4-Pro is the stronger default — best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
The shortest way to see the safest default, the lower-cost option, and the specialist pick before you read deeper.
DeepSeek V4-Pro is the safest overall answer here when you want the strongest default instead of the lowest list price.
Mistral: Mistral Nemo is the lower-cost option to start with when you still need useful output at scale.
DeepSeek V3 is the better pick when response speed matters more than maximum reasoning depth.
DeepSeek V4-Pro leads on coding with a score of 93 vs 87 for DeepSeek V3.
DeepSeek V4-Pro has the larger context window: 1M vs 128K for DeepSeek V3.
DeepSeek V3 is cheaper at $0.27/1M input tokens vs $0.435/1M for DeepSeek V4-Pro.
Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro for coding and reasoning — frontier-level coding and reasoning on a budget.
Choose DeepSeek V3 when coding.
DeepSeek V3 is the more cost-efficient option at $0.27/1M — worth considering if token volume is a concern.
Switch the scoring lens to see whether the top answer changes when you care more about cost, speed, or long-document work.
DeepSeek / Budget / Aug 6, 2026
Best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
Ranks models by the broadest mix of coding, writing, research, and long-context usefulness.
You need vision input, verified agentic performance, or predictable pricing (surge pricing and an announced increase loom).
The fastest way to see where the recommendation shifts when your priority changes.
Best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
GPT-4o-class coding quality at under $0.30/1M — the best value in the directory.
80.6% SWE-bench Verified (self-reported) — reported as tied with Gemini 3.1 Pro
93.5% LiveCodeBench and Codeforces 3206 — elite competitive-coding results
1M context with 384K max output at $0.87/1M output — an order of magnitude cheaper than closed frontier models
Independent harnesses report much lower agentic scores than the self-reported numbers; trails GPT-5.6 and Opus-class on hard agentic evals
Peak-hour surge pricing doubles rates, a price increase is announced, and it's text-only (no vision)
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DeepSeek V4-Pro wins on more categories — coding, reasoning, budget. DeepSeek V3 is the better pick when coding. The right choice depends on your specific use case.
DeepSeek V3 is cheaper at $0.27/1M input and $1.1/1M output. DeepSeek V4-Pro costs $0.435/1M input and $0.87/1M output.
DeepSeek V4-Pro has the larger context window at 1M tokens vs DeepSeek V3's 128K. For large document analysis, DeepSeek V4-Pro is the stronger pick.
DeepSeek V4-Pro is better for coding with a score of 93 vs DeepSeek V3's 87 (out of 100). Claude Fable 5 is the overall coding leader in this directory at 100/100.
DeepSeek V3 is faster with a fast speed rating (score: 4) vs DeepSeek V4-Pro's balanced rating (score: 3).